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Tag: Windows Phone 7

  • Skype Will No Longer Update Its Windows Phone 7 App

    Are you still rockin’ a Windows Phone 7 device? Do you regularly use Skype? If so, you might want to consider upgrading.

    Skype announced this morning that it has stopped development of Skype for Windows Phone 7. The decision was made after it decided to focus all of its efforts on Windows Phone 8 for the foreseeable future. It also probably has something to do with the fact that there aren’t many Windows Phone 7 users out in the wild anymore.

    Here’s the full statement:

    Earlier this year we outlined Skype’s Mobile Future, where our work on Windows Phone has been leading the way in a number of key areas. Skype for Windows Phone was the first Skype mobile app to have HD Video Calling, the new Modern user interface and be always on and power efficient. The Windows Phone 8 platform is gaining good momentum in the marketplace and at Skype the vast majority of our Windows Phone base and usage is on Windows Phone 8.

    Just recently we released Video Messaging for our Windows Phone 8 app, enabling you to record and share messages, even when friends and loved ones are not available for a call. As we look ahead to the future, we are focusing all our efforts to bring great experiences and improved performance to Windows Phone 8, building on the capabilities of the platform. As a result we are not planning to release further updates to Skype for Windows Phone 7. However the Windows Phone 7 app will remain available to download in the Windows Phone Store, so users can still keep using the core Skype experiences, such as Chat, Voice and Video Calls.

    So, it’s all not bad, right? Windows Phone 7 users can still use Skype. They’re just not going to get any new features. If new features are all that important to you, you might just want to upgrade to Windows Phone 8. Microsoft just bought Nokia’s devices and services division, and will probably be pumping out some pretty good hardware in the near future. It’s as good of time as any to upgrade for the devoted Windows Phone fan.

    [Image: Skype]

  • Mainstream Support For Windows Phone 8 Ends In 2014

    The traditional Windows operating system has a mainstream support lifespan of at least five years. During that time, Microsoft will continue to update the OS with security and stability updates. It seems that Microsoft will be bucking that trend with its mobile OS.

    Microsoft unveiled its support timeline for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.8 recently, and both operating systems will have their mainstream support ending sooner rather than later. In fact, both will stop receiving support next year with Windows Phone 8’s support running out July 8, 2014; and Windows Phone 7.8’s support running out on September 9, 2014.

    This short support lifespan pretty much confirms that Microsoft plans to take Windows Phone into an annual release cycle. A job posting from earlier this month suggested as much, and there’s the persistent rumor of Windows Blue. The latter could prove interesting if it cuts support for desktop Windows earlier than usual. Windows 8 should be in no danger of that for the time being, though, as its mainstream support ends in 2018.

    Some consumers may be a bit sore over Microsoft ending support for Windows Phone 8 so quickly, but the company is just following the lead of its competitors. It’s rare to see any manufacturer support a mobile operating system more than two years after its launch.

    It will be interesting to see if Microsoft updates Windows Phone 8 devices to the latest Windows Phone operating system, or if it will require consumers with older phones to upgrade to hardware. We can only hope for the former, but don’t be surprised if Microsoft pushes for the latter.

    [h/t: Engadget]

  • Windows Phone 7.8 Is Still Alive, Launches Early 2013

    Windows Phone 8 is now out, and Windows Phone 7 users can only look on in jealousy. Well, that is until they get their own update in the form of Windows Phone 7.8 that adds a number of features from Windows Phone 8 to the platform. Microsoft hasn’t said much about the update since it was announced, but at least we now know it’s still alive.

    In a post on the Windows Phone blog, the team has finally broken its silence on the Windows Phone 7.8 update. The good news is that the update is still coming, and that Microsoft hasn’t abandoned the users of its previous mobile OS. The bad news is that the update has been pushed back from later this year to early next year.

    Back when the update was first announced, the only thing we really knew about Windows Phone 7.8 is that it would resizable live tiles. That’s a good enough update as it is, but it will bring other features from Windows Phone 8 as well. For instance, Windows Phone 7.8 doubles the number of theme and accent colors to help make the phone more personal. It also features some new lock screen options including the Bing picture of the day.

    Microsoft isn’t forgetting about mobile gamers either. The company says that Words with Friends and Draw Something are now available on Windows Phone 7.5 and will be on 7.8 when it launches. Rovio is also working on bringing Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Star Wars to the platform.

    Windows Phone 7.8 devices will also launch in more countries around the world as we near its launch. It will be sold as an entry Windows Phone compared to the current range of Windows Phone 8 devices. The move to 7.8 should ensure that those who buy cheaper phones won’t be shortchanged out of the many unique features found on Windows Phone 8.

    After all this, the big question now is when Windows Phone 7.8 will be available. There’s no concrete date just yet, but Microsoft says that it’s currently working to start testing the update with its hardware and carrier partners to make sure its ready by a release sometime in early 2013.

    In other news, Microsoft has contracted the Abominable Snow Monster from Rankin-Bass’ holiday classic, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, to sell Windows Phones for the company. It’s one of the most delightful holiday ads you’ll see this year.

  • AOL’s Entrance Rolls Augmented Reality And Entertainment Into One Impressive Package

    AOL’s Entrance Rolls Augmented Reality And Entertainment Into One Impressive Package

    Microsoft and Nokia are holding a big event today to show off the future of the Windows Phone platform. We’re expecting to see some new hardware from Nokia’s impressive Lumia line. The mobile device manufacturer has also been busy on the software side of things lately. They recently announced Nokia Music, a free streaming service, but a new partnership with AOL has yielded an even more impressive app.

    Say hello to Entrance, AOL’s new, and rather impressive, app for Nokia Lumia handsets. The app was built as part of a partnership between AOL and Nokia that will see AOL’s stable of entertainment focused properties, like Moviefone and AOL Music, combined into a single app.

    At first glance, Entrance seems like any other entertainment hub app. That would be doing the app a disservice, however, as its augmented reality feature is a game changer. Holding up the Nokia Lumia will display all the theaters in your vicinity alongside a list of the films being shown at each location. It also lists when the next showtime for each movie is alongside the average price of a ticket. It’s by far one of the most impressive uses of augmented reality that I’ve seen.

    AOL Augmented Reality Entertainment App

    “Entrance by AOL leverages the depth of AOL’s content, whilst demonstrating the unique and
    differentiated experiences partners can bring to Nokia Lumia smartphones. With innovative
    features such as Augmented Reality, personalized and contextual Live Tiles and beautiful app
    design, enabled through the rich Windows Phone UI, we believe Nokia consumers will love this
    exclusive one stop shop for entertainment.” said Mark Fletcher, Director, Global Partnering &
    Application Development, Nokia.

    Entrance is only going to be available on the Nokia Lumia handsets, which are exclusively powered by Windows Phone. The partnership seems indicative of a larger partnership between AOL and Microsoft, but Sol Lipman, VP of Mobile First for AOL, told WebProNews that that is not the case. He says that that AOL is “exploring how to best leverage the Windows 8 platform and our content.” He also said that that Microsoft’s “distributions channels are of interest to AOL.”

    Besides the impressive augmented reality, Entrance is playing around with the idea of interlinked content. The app brings together movies, music and TV in a way that connects it all based on actors, news and even soundtracks. AOL uses the example of looking up a movie and then being able to listen to the soundtrack right there. Of course, users can also buy and download the soundtrack if they so wish.

    Combining augmented reality and interlinked content into a single app is already an impressive feat, but AOL has higher aspirations. Lipman told us that they intend to create “the ESPN for entertainment.” It’s a lofty goal as most consumers use multiple apps and sources for all their entertainment needs. Apple has come really close to being that with iTunes, but there’s nothing that covers the wide breadth of entertainment like ESPN does with sports. AOL might just be the first do that.

    AOL’s Entrance seems like it’s from the future, but it’s actually built with Windows Phone 7 in mind. Anybody who owns a Windows Phone that’s outfitted with Windows Phone 7.5 can download Entrance right now. AOL has built it to be forward compatible with Windows Phone 8, but I can imagine them adding some exclusive features to take advantage of all the new goodies in Windows Phone 8.

    I never thought I would see the day when Windows Phone gets a killer app, but AOL seems to have created that app. I expect Google and Apple to follow suit with their own similar apps in the near future. We’ll find out later today if Microsoft and Nokia can keep the momentum going in Windows Phone’s favor.

  • Nokia Has A Plan In Case Windows Phone 8 Goes Splat

    In business, as in war, chess, and first dates, it’s always good to have an exit strategy, a backup plan to disentangle yourself if things go south. This backup plan is infinitely more important if you’re struggling. And Nokia is definitely struggling. Like many phone companies that were at the top of their game when the iPhone came out five years ago, Nokia has struggled to stay competitive in the rapidly changing mobile phone landscape. Over the last year or so, the company has bet heavily on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.

    It’s a match that made sense, really. Nokia was a feature phone company struggling to keep up in a smartphone world, and Microsoft had missed the boat with its Windows Mobile platform. Both companies badly needed a hit, and hoped to find it in the Nokia Lumia 900. While the Lumia 900 has performed decently, it wasn’t exactly a home run. Surely the next lineup of Windows Phone devices will be once Windows Phone 8 comes out later this year, right? That would certainly be best for both Nokia and Microsoft, but the fact is that Nokia can’t afford to put all its eggs in one basket anymore. To that end, Nokia board chairman Risto Siilasmaa recently told a Finnish talk show that Nokia has plans in place should Windows Phone 8 hit the market with a whimper instead of a bang.

    According to Finnish news site Yle Uutiset, Siilasmaa said that while he remains confident in Windows Phone 8’s potential to perform well, the company has not put all its eggs in one basket. He declined to be more specific, however, leading to speculation about just what those plans might be. He did point to Nokia’s location services and network division, as well as the company’s large intellectual property portfolio. Those things, however, don’t seem to fit the concept of a contingency plan all that well.

    What Siilasmaa likely means, then, is that Nokia is working on hardware that will run other software platforms should Windows Phone 8 flop. The obvious choice would be Android. On the other hand, the Android market is becoming a difficult place to get into. Samsung is the only really profitable Android phone maker, though Motorola Mobility’s new-found direct ties to Google are bound to make it a major player. Of course, there’s always RIM – there have been rumors that RIM would sell off its hardware business and begin licensing the BlackBerry platform to other hardware makers.

    At this point, though, using RIM as your contingency plan looks an awful lot like using an anchor as your backup parachute, so if Nokia were to consider an alliance with RIM, they’d be wise to have another contingency plan in case RIM doesn’t survive until Windows Phone 8 goes thud (assuming it does).

    At any rate, Siilasmaa’s lack of specificity means that this is all speculation. The likeliest candidate for Nokia’s contingency plans is Android, but unless Windows Phone 8 falls flat, we’re not likely to know anything for certain.

  • Microsoft Kicks Up Its “Smoked by Windows Phone” Ad Campaign

    In February, Microsoft began an ad campaign for its Windows Phones called “Smoked By Windows Phone.” The campaign involved Microsoft Store employees challenging Android and iPhone users to contests involving performing various tasks on a smartphone. The tasks were often weighted against contestants by having the Windows Phone prepared in advance to perform the pre-selected task, but showing off the features of a Windows Phone was the point. Despite a hiccup involving the PR nightmare of an Android user being denied his prizes after winning the Windows Phone Challenge, the campaign ran smoothly for Microsoft and garnered needed attention for phones such as the Nokia Lumia 900.

    Now Microsoft has decided to double-down on the “Smoked By Windows Phone” campaign and create ads where random smartphone users on the street are challenged to take the Windows Phone Challenge. The new ads were announced over on the official Windows Phone Blog, where Microsoft Evangelist Ben Rudolph revealed the ads that will run throughout the summer. From the blog post:

    This time, rather than challenge people at Microsoft Stores (or on the CES show floor), we hit the streets of Seattle, asking real smartphone users to complete common tasks like taking photos and posting them to Facebook, finding awesome places to eat, or connecting with someone on a social network.

    Watch below as Rudolph smokes a girl named Ramona and her Samsung Stratosphere:

    Of course, Rudolph already had a group of friends created beforehand, making the “send” portion of the challenge a snap. That is the sort of set-up that the challengers don’t get to perform. Still, the challenges highlight some good features of the Windows Phone operating system, such as “Me” Live Tile that Rudolph uses to smoke Peter in the next ad:

    Two other, very similar ads can be seen on the WindowsPhone YouTube page. In one, Rudolph smokes an Argentinian couple by quickly finding directions to a Japanese restaurant. In the other, he bests a girl’s iPhone by quickly uploading a picture to Facebook and then sends her to the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle.

    That Microsoft is putting more money into the “Smoked By Windows Phone” ad campaign is interesting. On one hand, it indicates that the campaign has been successful. On the other hand, the current Windows Phones will quickly become outdated this fall with the release of Windows Phone 8, since no current Windows Phones will be updated to the new operating system. This seems to be Microsoft’s last push to sell Windows Phone 7 phones before Windows Phone 8 launches.

  • Windows Phone Map App Gets Expanded Traffic Coverage

    Last month, Bing Maps announced that it would be providing better traffic coverage for users thanks to some backend support from Nokia. Senior Product Manager of the Windows Phone Map App Scott Burton recently offered an update on the traffic data integration with Windows Phone 7, explaining that the traffic coverage has been expanded beyond just the main highways and now includes many of the side and secondary streets.

    Burton provided a before-and-after comparison of the updated traffic data, as seen below. The former map is on the left, the updated map is on the right.

    Bing Maps Update for Windows Phone 7

    If you’re a user of the Windows Phone 7 and live in the U.S., you should be seeing a “show traffic” feature in the menu of your Maps app. If you happen to live outside of the U.S., which most people in the world do, the Windows Phone team is still cooking up the traffic data feature for Windows Phone users outside of the United States and will hopefully be launching it over the next two or three weeks. The countries that should be seeing the updates on Windows Phones are: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

    [Via Bing Maps Blog.]

  • Windows Phone Marketplace Gets Improvements

    The Windows Phone Marketplace has proven to be a great place for developers to make bank. Back in April, we reported that indie game developer, FourBros Studios, was pulling in about $1,000 a day from their Windows Phone 7 game. The potential is there for even more success as long as Microsoft keeps up with curation.

    As part of that curation, the Windows Phone team has announced some improvements being made to the Windows Phone Marketplace that should make it easier and faster to developers to get their apps on Windows Phone. The team is hoping to have some major work finished on the marketplace later this summer, but they have some minor improvements that went live yesterday.

    App Hub is the Windows Phone analytics page that lets developers know how their apps are performing. It’s recently been returning time-outs for developers who have extensive app portfolios. Microsoft has improved the performance of App Hub to hopefully deal with the problem. They claim that time-outs should now be a thing of the past.

    A big fix has addressed the problems with unlocked phones. Developers may receive an unlocked phone to develop on at an event that was unlocked by another account. In prior cases, it was found that only the App Hub account originally associated with the unlock could renew the phone. Updated rules now allow developers to register a previously unlocked phone to their own App Hub account to avoid any frustration in the future.

    Windows Phone is riding the coattails of another Microsoft product that should more developers in more nations bring in those sweet advertising dollars. Microsoft Advertising announced that pubCenter would be coming to 17 new markets which also means that that those 17 new markets will be able to bring in advertising dollars through Windows Phone apps. The new markets comprise various countries throughout South America, Eastern Europe and Asia.

    All these are great, but mean little if app publishing times are slow. Fortunately, Microsoft has managed to improve those as well. The time it takes for an app to appear on the Marketplace after being submitted has been decreased by about 30 percent which means that it now only takes about three to four business days.

    Microsoft has the most to prove out of the major players in the smartphone business. The fact that they’re willing to push out incremental updates as they occur while working on a much larger overhaul signify that the company at least cares about getting developers on board and publishing apps for Windows Phones. I like to think that apps are a major selling points for smartphones these days and Windows Phone needs to kick it up a notch to compete with Android and iOS.

  • Have A Windows Phone? Better Upgrade To 7.5

    Regardless of the jokes that permeate the mobile industry, there are people who use and love Windows Phone 7. Even Siri thinks that the Nokia Lumia 900 is the best phone currently on the market until Apple ceased her insubordination. There are people who bought Windows Phones before the big 7.5 update last fall and they’re going to want to update now.

    Microsoft has announced that accessing the Windows Phone Marketplace now requires version 7.5. If you lack the the update, you won’t be able to interact with the marketplace whatsoever. That means no downloading, buying, updating or reviewing of apps. There’s some pretty good stuff on the Windows Phone Marketplace so it’s really worth updating.

    Unfortunately, updating Windows Phone isn’t as easy as it is on iOS and Android. To update Windows Phone, follow these simple steps:

    How to prepare for an update

    Install the Zune software or Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac. You’ll need this software to download the phone update.

    If your battery level is low, give your phone a quick charge before starting the update.

    Make some room on your phone for the update. If necessary, remove a few unwanted apps or other large items.

    Free up space on your computer. We’ll need some room to save a backup of your existing phone software.

    Make sure your computer has a reliable Internet connection. In some cases, you might need to switch from a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection to a wired (Ethernet) connection. Or you might need to adjust your computer’s firewall or proxy settings.

    Verify that your phone is set to the correct date and time. That’ll help us determine which updates you need.

    How to install an update

    When an update is available, we’ll notify you on your phone. After you see the notification, pick a convenient time to install it. The process can take an hour or more.

    Connect your phone to your computer using the USB cable that came with your phone. Follow the instructions that appear in the Zune software or Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac.

    Even if you don’t like any of the apps on the Marketplace and have no intention of using, Windows Phone 7.5 has plenty of new features that make the update worth it. Some of the more prominent features includes custom ringtones, speech recognition for texts, Facebook chat, playlists, tethering and more.

  • Windows Phone Marketplace Gets Strict With Submissions

    If there’s one complaint one could levy against the iTunes app store and Google Play, it would be that both are filled with a lot of trash. Little developers create an obviously lazy attempt at cashing in on the app craze or they outright steal somebody else’s app for their own purposes. It’s sad, but it’s common when both app stores are so open to submissions. Microsoft wants to make sure the Windows Phone Marketplace is home to a higher quality bar and have announced some new initiatives to keep that quality high.

    The Windows Phone team announced four new “improvements” coming to the Windows Phone Marketplace. Microsoft hopes that these changes will help decrease the amount of shovelware apps and increase the amount of quality that will hopefully drive more people to the platform.

    A problem that has plagued both iOS and Android is that app developers outright steal other developer’s content and republish it as their own. While the developer can report these actions, it can take Apple or Google days to respond. Microsoft feels that the majority of copyright and trademark violations are unintentional. To that end, they suggest that app developers follow these three rules:

    (1) You own the trademark, (2) you’ve secured permission from the owner to use it, or (3) you’re using a trademarked name (not a logo) to describe your app’s features or functionality without suggesting that the app is actually published by the trademark owner.

    It means that you can’t publish an app called “MSN” but you could publish an app called “Reader for MSN.” If a developer did intentionally infringe on your copyright or trademark, Microsoft will investigate and take down any apps if the complaint is valid.

    With Microsoft, it’s all about quality. Their next announcement is about keeping that quality as high as it can be. The company has seen a trend where developers submit hundreds of similar apps to different categories. The idea is that at least one of them will hit and they can start raking in that sweet ad revenue. Microsoft will have none of it though. So now they’re saying that any app submitted must be to a single category.

    If you are a developer submitting multiple apps at the same time, it’s fine if they’re different in some way to reflect the different categories they’e going in. It’s not going to work though if you have the same app icon for each app. Microsoft says that developers are going to have to differentiate the app icons if they want their apps to make it through approval. On a side note, the app’s branding shouldn’t be the focus of the icon either.

    Microsoft has had a rule for app keywords that says developers can only use up to five for each app. Developers have been breaking this rule and Microsoft never really enforced it. Now they are so any app starting this week that has more than five keywords will be denied submission. If you enter more than five keywords, Microsoft won’t just delete some until it hits five and let it through. They will delete all the keywords and send the app back to the drawing board.

    Oh, and the developers who are entering popular keywords like “Justin Bieber” for your totally unrelated app. That’s not cool and Microsoft has noticed that you’re playing the system. The company will now start monitoring this more closely and delete any unrelated keywords that you may have added.

    Like any good app policy, the final issue is about offensive content. Apple, Google and Microsoft all monitor their respective platforms for any apps submitted that may contain sexually explicit material or other offensive content. Microsoft isn’t going to be a stickler about it though. As far as sexuality goes, an app’s icon can have content that one would see in a PG-13 film.

    If your app does feature too racy of an icon, you will have to change it to remain in the store. Microsoft even helps those developers out by saying that silhouettes are totally acceptable. That opens an entirely new world of possibility in adult app development.

    While these rules seem pretty strict, it’s really not that bad. Microsoft is keeping a pretty broad line drawn between openness and strict regulations. I think that developers can appreciate a stronger focus on protecting IP as well.

    Will these rules help turn the Windows Phone Marketplace into a quality first app store? Or will it just drive away potential developers? Let us know in the comments.

  • Windows Phone Marketplace Losing Zune Software Support

    All the major smartphone operators – Apple, Google and Microsoft – allow users to download apps from the Web or the smartphone itself. Microsoft strangely enough had a third option that allowed users to download Windows Phone 7 apps from the Zune HD store. Probably due to the fact that nobody knows what a Zune is anymore, Microsoft is removing this third option.

    Let’s back up a little bit first though. Microsoft has found through their research that most app users obtain apps via their phones. If that obvious nugget of wisdom didn’t floor you, maybe the fact that the Web portal has become popular as well might do the trick. Again, if you have ever used an Android or iPhone, you know this to be basic app shopping protocol.

    Microsoft decided that it wasn’t worth it to keep the Windows App option open on the Zune store. I’m just surprised that it took them this long to figure out that even Zune users (all three of them) don’t even use the Zune store anymore. Of course, it would be mean to close the entire store, so Microsoft is keeping the Zune HD apps store open.

    Microsoft does want to point out that the Zune software still has a purpose for Windows Phone users. You can use it to install Windows software updates, making backup copies of photos and videos store on your phone, and, of course, buying music.

    Speaking of software updates, Microsoft is soon requiring every Windows Phone to be updated to Windows Phone 7.5 to buy, submit or review apps. Why? It’s all part of an effort to unify the platform. Similar in a way to how the latest version of iOS runs on the last three makes of the iPhone. Now if only Android smartphone manufacturers would roll out official ICS updates to all of us Android 2.3 users.

    In another part of the Windows Phone blogosphere, Todd Brix detailed how the new changes will affect developers. He mentions that “deep links” to apps on the marketplace will need to be changed if they use the zune:// format for links. The proper way to link to your app is http://windowsphone.com/s?appId={GUID}.

    The same post also revealed that Microsoft has released the OS software required to bring Marketplace to smartphone users in Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, UAE and Vietnam. This allows developers in these regions to officially start developing apps for Windows Phone as well as setting up hardware manufacturers to start selling Windows Phones to the people of these countries.

  • Taptitude Proves Windows Phone 7 Games Can Be Successful

    If you’ve been following the mobile arena for any time now, you would have known that Zynga acquired “Draw Something” developer OMGPOP for a cool $200 million. Before that, OMGPOP was bringing in six figures a day in revenue. It’s a true testament to the ability of mobile games on Android and iOS to make developers obscenely wealthy. On the other hand, the success of apps on Windows Phone 7 has been relatively ignored by the media.

    FourBros Studios came out yesterday with a post on their Web site showing that Windows Phone 7 games can be successful. How successful? The studio is making over $1,000 a day now with their game, Taptitude. The wider adoption of Windows Phone 7 obviously led to their newfound success, but there were other factors at play as well.

    First and foremost, the game is free. That’s an obvious boost to app adoption since everybody likes free. If your app is free, you still have to make money off of it somehow though. On the more popular Android and iOS platforms, it’s done either through ads or in app purchases. FourBros Studios used Microsoft’s pubCenter to display ads on their game.

    The developer breaks down how pubCenter works for them. They say that you are paid for the number of “impressions” you earn each day. This is paid out per thousand impressions in an amount referred to as “eCPM.” Starting out, they were making very little money as they only got a few thousand impressions a day. Instead of throwing in the towel though, the team kept at it with constant free updates that added more to the game. This led to more people playing and keeping those that were already playing.

    All of this effort paid off in the end as they are now at nearly 100 million ad impressions. This isn’t the only factor in play though. At a point during last year, their “eCPM” was at $3 which boosted their revenue significantly. That was short lived, however, as it went back to $1 so they had to rely on impressions again to make money.

    It’s worked marvelously for them as they are now getting about 1 million impressions per day. This equates to about $1,000 a day in revenue. For a small team and indie game like Taptitude, that’s really impressive. It’s made even more impressive considering that it’s on the Windows Phone 7 platform.

    So let’s break down what makes this app successful. FourBros Studio built a game and stuck with it, they used pubCenter to monetize their free app and they provide constant updates to keep active players engaged while attracting new players. Would you look at that? That’s the exact same strategy every single successful app uses. So before you start making fun of Windows Phone 7 as a worthless platform to develop for, just know that the same strategies that make an app successful applies to any and all platforms.

    For all the juicy details and charts, check out FourBros Studios analysis of their game’s success. This should be a sign to other developers that it might be high time to invest in the Windows Phone platform. The audience is growing and they’re looking for quality content like Taptitude.

    [h/t: Business Insider]

  • Nokia Sells 2 Million Lumia Windows Phones in Q1

    Nokia Sells 2 Million Lumia Windows Phones in Q1

    Nokia has just revealed that it sold 2 million Lumia Windows Phone devices worldwide during Q1, 2012, and calls the results for its devices and services for the quarter “disappointing,” and states that its “difficult financial performance reflects company in transition.”

    Nokia launched its Lumia 900 on April 8th, which is one of the cheapest hi-end smartphones ever, at $100 with a 2-year contract. The 900 runs Windows Phone 7, and at its price point, the 2 million in sales apparently didn’t do much for the Nokia, who initially forecasted breaking even for the quarter, and then downgraded the prediction to coming in at negative 3%. The Lumia 900 was initially touted as the Nokia’s flagship come-back phone, but many units were shipped with a connection glitch, and the company was forced to offer replacement phones or credit, to any devices that were obtained before April 21st. It’s evident that the Lumia 900 might have turned out to be a bit of a lemon.

    As for Windows Phone 7, it’s been reported that the OS only makes up only 3% of all smartphones sold by AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S., but Microsoft has made the platform available in 23 new countries, in attempts to capitalize on its usability in low-end technology. Microsoft isn’t exactly going to give up on its Windows Phone OS, and since Apple and Google aren’t so entrenched in certain developing markets, it’s expansion to a total of 63 emerging regions is integral – stores in Argentina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru and the Philippines are promoting the operating system.

  • Bing Details Bing Features For Nokia Lumia 900

    Remember the Nokia Lumia 900? It was the really impressive Windows phone that Microsoft is betting heavily on since its first positive reviews came out of CES 2012. It was announced two weeks ago that the Lumia 900 would be launching April 8. Today is April 8 and guess what, the Lumia 900 is here.

    The Bing Team always knowing about the newest cool features coming to Bing have taken to the Bing blog to announce some of the cool stuff Lumia 900 users can do with Bing. The feature is admittedly impressive only because it takes a lot of features from numerous applications on other smartphones and consolidates them into a single Bing application.

    The first feature is called Local Scout. It allows users to filter their search results locally. It also brings up results for local dining, shopping and activities. Going to any of the results will tell you “where it’s located, how to get there, who to call, when it’s open, the Web site, and even ratings and reviews.” If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same functionality that Google Places and other services like Yelp! and Foursquare offer.

    One of the other much touted features is Voice. It’s just a simple search by voice command. The same functionality is seen in other smartphones as well. It’s usefulness is all over the place, however, with my voice search commands always being misinterpreted.

    Now here’s the pretty cool feature even if it is copied from other services. Bing now has music search which will listen to a song and then display the artist, song title and where you can buy it. We’ve been using this kind of technology for a few years now with applications like Shazam, but it’s still new to Bing.

    The final feature is Bing Vision which sounds like some kind of night-vision application. Unfortunately, it’s not that exciting. It’s just a product scanner that brings up relevant information on said product.

    It’s worth pointing out that all the applications that Bing replicates are also available on the Windows Phone marketplace for free. It’s handy to have all of these applications in one place, but Bing will have to prove that it performs these tasks better than the dedicated applications.

  • Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 Now Available

    Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 Now Available

    A recent study pegged developer interest in Windows Phone as rising. It’s still not at the level of iOS or Android, but the interest is there. Microsoft is keeping the flame alive with constant updates like today’s that adds in a few more key features that developers could use.

    The Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 announced today adds two new features that aren’t ground breaking, but useful nonetheless. They add the tools for developers to make apps on 256 MB devices and develop on machines running Windows 8. Those are the major updates, but Microsoft has added in a bevy of smaller updates as well. They are as follows:

    The Visual Studio IDE is patched to enable selection from a list of emulators, and launching it (note that the WPSDK can only support connecting to one at a time, though)

    The Windows Phone [512 MB device] emulator image is updated to use build 8773

    A second, new emulator device image is included, allowing you to emulate running your app on a 256 MB device

    The Microsoft Advertising SDK is updated to the latest version (previously only available as a separate install), which fixes some issues devs were encountering at runtime

    IntelliSense now supports specifying the 512 MB device requirement in your manifest file, should you choose to opt your app out from running on the new 256 MB devices

    Language support is again consistent both in the IDE (the 7.1.1 Update supports all 10 of the WPSDK 7.1 languages) and in the emulator OS (Malay and Indonesian have been added)

    As previously mentioned, the new update allows developers to build apps on Windows 8. There are still a few problems with this though. Development of apps is not officially supported until the RTM release of Windows. Developers should also expect a dip in performance if they have Hyper-V enabled.

    So check out the newest update and get to building those apps. Windows Phone 7 isn’t going to develop for itself.

  • “Angry Birds Space” Is Confirmed For Windows Phone 7

    After an erroneous report on Bloomberg news that had Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer of the game’s maker, Rovio Entertainment Oy saying that the irrationally popular Angry Birds Space wasn’t coming to the Windows phone 7, the truth comes out! It was learned today that ,

    “Angry Birds Space” is confirmed for Windows Phone 7

    To make the confusion even worse, Rovio’s official twitter account had this to say, even linking to the Bloomberg report:

    @RovioMobile
    Rovio Mobile    No plans for Angry Birds Space on Windows Phone http://t.co/d0cSD94s 7 hours ago via Tweetbot for iOS ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    This would have been a very big blow to the phone because Angry birds currently has been downloaded 700 million times and is currently the fastest growing game on Facebook.

    “We are working towards getting Angry Birds Space to WP7,” Rovio Chief Executive Mikael Hed told Reuters completely destroying any bad news or hurt feelings of the massive amount of WP7 users. “We are working closely together with Nokia to bring our games to their platforms,” Hed said. “Our mutual goal is to bring the best possible experience to our fans, including all fans using Windows Phone devices.” He didn’t give a release date for the game though.

    It was such huge news for Nokia, makers of a WP7 phone, that after the announcement their shares rose 0.6 percent higher to 3.97 euros.

  • Windows Phone Collects Location Data, Too

    With all the hubbub surrounding the recent discovery of the iPhone’s location data collection protocols, other mobile phone developers are falling on this geo-data sword as well. First, Android admitted its phone practiced similar data collection, and now, Microsoft has joined the fray, admitting the Windows Phone 7 also collects location data from its users.

    Microsoft admitted these details at the official page for the Windows Phone devices, along with steps for turning this option off. There’s been no word, however, if that actually works, or, after selecting the option to turn location data off, the device continues to collect data, just like the iPhone does.

    Much like other devices that collect location data, the Windows phones use cell towers and Wi-Fi access points to determine a phone’s location, and according to their post, the collection is done once an application requests the location of the device accessing the program. Furthermore, Microsoft is adamant that their collection efforts do not include private data sent over non-protected wireless networks, which is a risk in and of itself (the use of non-protected networks, not the private data collection):

    Microsoft engineered and tested the software to make sure that it only observes the information publicly broadcast by Wi-Fi access points to identify access points to devices. The software does not collect any packets transmitted over encrypted or non-encrypted networks and does not attempt to connect to any open networks. This means that any private data you have transmitted over your Wi-Fi network (for example, email or other data you may have sent) is not detectable by the location service software.

    Microsoft also states they do not collect emails or passwords transmitted over these same open networks, and that they do not share the collected information with other mobile operators; although, one wonders what benefits Microsoft would receive if they did. As for turning off their location data collection tools, the post has step-by-step details to do so:

    To turn off location services for all applications, do the following:

    1. From Start, flick left to the App list, and then tap Settings.

    2. Tap Location, and then turn off Location services.

    According to The Enquirer, users need to turn off location collection in both the Search and Location areas, and while Microsoft includes an image of location collection being turned off in the Search function, they don’t explicitly say users need to do so.

    In fact, the post says location data can be turned off by either “withdrawing consent and turning off location services for that particular application,” which features the search function image and by “turning off access to location services for all applications on the phone.”

    Say what you will about the ubiquitous Microsoft, but you have to respect their approach to dealing with this subject, but hey, at least Apple finally responded.

  • Microsoft Nokia Deal Signed, Bing in More Hands Next Year

    Back in February, Microsoft and Nokia announced a partnership, which would see the two companies working together to take on Apple and Google in the smartphone market. At the time, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop it’s now a “three-horse race.”

    The companies have now signed their agreement, ahead of schedule, allowing both parties to begin engaging with operators, developers, and other partners on the endeavor.

    “At the highest level, we have entered into a win-win partnership,” said Elop. “It is the complementary nature of our assets, and the overall competitiveness of that combined offering, that is the foundation of our relationship.”

    The “third horse” will involve Windows Phone-based Nokia devices, and will include a new ecosystem to accompany that (yet another ecosystem for developers to worry about).

    “Our agreement is good for the industry,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together, Nokia and Microsoft will innovate with greater speed, and provide enhanced opportunities for consumers and our partners to share in the success of our ecosystem.”

    It will also involve the integration of numerous Microsoft offerings into Nokia phones. These include Office, Xbox, Maps, and of course Bing.

    “Microsoft will provide Bing search services across the Nokia device portfolio as well as contributing strength in productivity, advertising, gaming, social media and a variety of other services,” the newest announcement says. “The combination of navigation with advertising and search will enable better monetization of Nokia’s navigation assets and completely new forms of advertising revenue.”

    Bing’s share of the search market has grown every month since its launch. This partnership could be huge for expanding it even further.

    When Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7, we suggested that it could be one of Google’s biggest threats, and one of Bing’s best chances for significant growth. Lackluster sales of the initial devices kind of played that notion down a bit, but the Nokia deal could breathe new life into it.

    “Mobile is critical to Bing’s success, and providing the best possible search experience on Windows Phone 7 is an important part of our strategy,” a Microsoft spokesperson told us in November.

    Bing also has the Facebook partnership working to its advantage, both providing web results in Facebook, and providing Bing users with Facebook integration from the search engine – an area Google continues to shy away from (Blekko is also deepening its Facebook integration, by the way).

    It will be interesting to see how the social media element of the Microsoft/Nokia partnership plays out as well.

    The companies intend to ship devices next year.

  • Windows Phone 7 App Development Numbers

    Windows Phone 7 App Development Numbers

    At the MIX10 conference, Microsoft released its platform and free tools to app developers and told them to get started.  A year later, Windows Phone 7 Director Brandon Watson seems quite excited about some statistics detailed at the Windows Developer Blog.

    When considering the various measures of progress over the last year, we tend to focus on the third party developers who have built so many amazing apps and games for the platform. Given the one year anniversary of the tool set, I also want to acknowledge the engineering work that began long before any of us knew what the Windows Phone developer platform would be…Instead of talking about those points one-by-one, we thought it would be more fun to take a look at some of the numbers that illustrate our commitment to those principles over the course of our first year

    Okay, let’s hear the numbers:

    • The Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools have been downloaded over 1.5 millions times
    • AppHub, the Windows Phone official developers community has amassed 36,000 paid members.  They are currently added 1,200 members to that list weekly
    • 11,500 unique apps have been generated.  According to Watson, this is a true un-fluffed up number.  This figure does not include competitor’s apps, as he states they aren’t interested in accumulating “tonnage.”  This figure does not include “Lite” versions of apps.  The figure also does not count apps in different languages as separate apps.
    • Watson reports that the Windows Phone offers 7,500 paid apps.  He boasts that although they cannot compete with other companies in terms of handset volume, some app developers have told him that they are able to generate more revenue on the Windows Phone platform.
    • Windows Phone users on average download 12 apps per month.
    • The average time between app submission and certification is 1.8 days.  Watson says that this is much to the delight of developers, who hate to have their apps sit in limbo.
    • In a testament to the thorough instruction given to developers, 62% of apps pass certification on the first try.
    • 44% of all paid apps offer a trial version
    • Out of the entire list of registered developers, only 40% have produced an app.  Watson is particularly giddy about this stat because it shows they may in fact have up to 60% left to come.

    It looks like they believe things are on the up swing over at Microsoft.  They aren’t the only ones who think it might be a good couple of years for the Windows Phone.  Recent projections put the phone squarely in 2nd place of market share, behind the Android OS in 2015.

  • Windows Phone 7 Rumored with NFC?

    Windows Phone 7 Rumored with NFC?

    One of the hottest technologies around is NFC.  Near Field Communication allows devices to communicate to other devices using short waves.  The reason this technology has caught fire has been its use in mobile credit card payments.  Another upcoming phone may be rolling out with full NFC capabilities.

    Last week we told you about iPhone 5 rumors that suggested NFC may be a part of the much anticipated smartphones.  Last December, the Google phone Nexus S was released with NFC capabilities, of course running on the Android OS.  Today, two anonymous sources have confirmed that the upcoming Windows Phone from Microsoft will be NFC capable.

    From Bloomberg:

    Microsoft plans to include mobile-payment technology in new versions of its operating system for smartphones as part of an effort to narrow Google Inc.’s lead in handset software, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the features aren’t public. The first devices boasting these features may be released this year, the people said.

    According to technological researchers Gartner Inc, mobile payments may be used in 245 billion dollars worth of transactions in 2014, up from $32 billion in 2010.  It is obvious that NFC and mobile payments is something that consumers desire.  Companies like Verifone that build POS terminals are beginning to include NFC in all new models.  Smartphones capable of providing reliable NFC might have an edge in the future market.

    According to a study by the IDC, the Windows Phone will lose handily to Android, iPhone and Blackberry in 2011.  They also suggest that with Nokia’s adoption of the Windows Phone to replace Symbian, 2015 may see Microsoft pull into second place in the market, with over 20% of the share.  Adding mobile payments to the mix may help them out even more.

     

  • Amazon Releases Windows Phone 7 App

    Amazon has introduced a new free mobile shopping app for Windows Phone 7.

    Amazon says the app is specifically designed for Windows Phone 7 and displays all of a product’s details in a single view, allowing users to scroll horizontally to search and buy without have to load new screens or leave the app.

    “We’ve combined the unique attributes of Windows Phone 7 with the popular Amazon shopping features customers have come to know and trust, to create an app that’s customized for Windows Phone 7 devices,” said Sam Hall, director of Amazon Mobile.

    The Amazon App for Windows Phone 7 uses the new panoramic-style layout of the Windows user interface, where people can swipe left and right to view details of a product, read customer reviews, browse related items and make a purchase.

    “With its panoramic layout and user-friendly design, Amazon for Windows Phone 7 is a prime example of the rich applications that will let Windows Phone 7 users get the most out of their phone,” said Todd Brix, senior director, Windows Phone Marketplace, Microsoft Corp.