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All posts tagged "international"


Monday, January 24, 2011

The Windows Phone 7 Feature Availability Matrix, A.K.A. The Confusing Mess

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Articles & Resources" @ 12:08 PM

http://andrewtechhelp.com/andrews-t...lability-matrix

"Windows Phone 7 is available in many different countries across the world, but where you live depends on how much of the experience you are able to get. The 3 major features on the Windows Phone revolve around availability of online services and they are the Zune Marketplace, Xbox Live and Bing Local search. Microsoft has not made each of these 3 services available in every country that they are launching Windows Phone in and therefore have created a mess of what services are available on the phone in each country (with some countries even having partial access to some services)."

Although I'm enjoying using Windows Phone 7 for the most part, I start to get an angry twitch whenever I stop to think about how fractured the product experience is for people outside the USA. This isn't anything new - I've ranted about this on Zune Thoughts for years - but the core problem is still the same. If someone wants to buy a Windows Phone in Canada, they can't buy music from the Zune Marketplace. What kind of sense does that make then for them to use the Zune desktop software to manage their phone and media collection, but not be able to buy new music - and that's not even the Zune Pass, that's any music at all from Zune. I've heard for years how hard it is to negotiate rights in every country, etc., but at the end of the day it has to happen or the product isn't going to succeed. And the consumer doesn't care about what's hard or what's easy; they want a product that works for them. If Microsoft can't provide that, they'll go with someone that will.


Monday, April 21, 2008

All-You-Can-Eat Local and International Calls from Your Windows Mobile Device

Posted by Darius Wey in "Pocket PC News" @ 06:45 AM

http://skype.com/go/subscriptions

"Skype announced unlimited* calling today to over a third of the world’s population with the launch of its new calling subscriptions. The new subscriptions signal the first time Skype has offered a single, monthly flat rate for international calling to landline numbers in 34 countries. The new subscriptions have no long-term contract. You can make calls whenever you want – at any time of the day, on any day of the week. From today, you can choose from three types of subscription – from unlimited calls to landlines in the country of your choice through to landlines in 34 destination countries worldwide."



Skype has just launched new subscriptions for all-you-can-eat, local and international calls to landlines and some mobiles, effectively replacing the old Skype Pro, which offered all-you-can-eat calls within the US and Canada only. So, here's how the new model works. There are basically three types of subscriptions: one which covers calls within your country, one which covers calls within your region, and one which covers calls worldwide. Calls can be made 24/7 for a single, monthly flat rate with no connection fees. And to put the icing on the cake, the subscriptions come with one or more online numbers, voicemail, and access to Skype To Go.

What's the catch? For the most part, all-you-can-eat equates to 10,000 minutes per month, but that's more than enough for the average person. And what's the point? Some telcos in some countries charge through the roof for local and international calls, so you have the potential to save big here, especially if Wi-Fi is ubiquitous in your area. Of course, Skype is available for Windows Mobile, which would make your subscription pocketable. Any buyers?


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