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All posts tagged "microsoft"


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Windows Phone Developer Summit Set For June In SF

Posted by Richard Chao in "Windows Phone News" @ 09:15 AM

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft...-for-june/12631

"Microsoft has begun sending "Save the Date" invitations for an upcoming developer summit to select Windows Phone programmers."

Microsoft's Windows Phone Develop Summit invitations are now going out to select individuals. The Developer Summit is scheduled for June 20 and 21 in San Francisco. Topics will include Windows Phone OS 8 Apollo, XNA and Silverlight support for WP8 among other program developer issues. Details about formal registration for those that do not receive invitations will be available in the coming weeks.


Monday, February 6, 2012

Think You Can Do A Better Job Than Microsoft?

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone News" @ 12:00 PM

https://windowsphone.uservoice.com/...g-and-promotion

"If you're here, we assume that's because you love Windows Phone as much as we do - but maybe you're frustrated that word's not getting out to everyone about how great Windows Phones are? Just like with your suggestions on features to add to future versions of the product, we'd like your suggestions on how we can spread the word about Windows Phone itself via advertising campaigns, community or social media involvement and other types of promotions."

One of the big disadvantages of being a big company not named Apple is that its sometimes (ok, most of the time) pretty hard to have your ear to the ground and keep track of the pulse of consumer likes and dislikes. So what's a big company to do? A couple of years back I had the chance to read Gary Hamel's "The Future of Management" and one of the recommendations was for companies to co-create with their customers. I think we're seeing that principle in action here - Microsoft wants YOU, to help them market Windows Phone 7 to the masses. Here's your chance to write copy, and break into advertising!


Thursday, January 26, 2012

The Value Of Microsoft To Nokia

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone News" @ 10:00 PM

http://www.slashgear.com/nokia-micr...phone-26210827/

"Microsoft paid Nokia $250m in Q4 2011 for adopting Windows Phone, the Finnish company's financial results today have revealed, the first of a "platform support payments" scheme expected to eventually account for billions of dollars. The two companies have always declined to put an exact figure on the "significant investments" Nokia would receive, though this new stat lends weight to earlier talk of over a billion in Microsoft subsidies."

1327637866.usr14226.jpg (480×325)

Talk about getting paid - what kind of reward do you think would a CEO get from his shareholders, if he got another company to pony up a billion greenbacks? Conversely, what should the shareholders of Microsoft think of a billion dollars in cash going to somebody else, who isn't even a big name in the US (and losing ground everywhere else)? Still it shows the kind of lengths Microsoft, or should I say Steve Ballmer, will go to to get WP7 into wider circulation. As much hammering as Nokia has taken in the last couple of years, they're still a big presence in most major and emerging markets. This is a gamble, but given the competition, it's probably no time for half measures.


Thursday, January 12, 2012

20 Questions for Microsoft and Nokia

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Nokia Windows Phones" @ 09:00 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/wpcentral-...hields-ces-2012

"WPCentral was lucky enough today to sit down with Nokia's senior vice president, Windows Phone program management Kevin Shields and Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President, Windows Phone program management."

It's a fairly long interview, but what you get is some insight into Nokia's plans for entering the US market and the design process for the Lumia 900. Enjoy!


Monday, January 2, 2012

Windows Phone 7 Updates For 2012

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone News" @ 11:30 PM

http://blog.laptopmag.com/windows-p...pgrades-in-2012

"If you're one of the few people out there breathlessly waiting for information about the next major Windows Phone update, you can now exhale. WMPoweruser has gotten its hands on a release schedule outlining Microsoft's plans for Windows Phone through the fourth quarter of 2012."

There's going to be two updates this year: Tango will be released by the 2nd quarter of 2012, and will allow WP7 to run on "budget" devices. Apollo on the other hand is probably the update that everybody would want, as it is intended to put WP7 into businesses (finally!) and put in play the kind of top end hardware the competition is offering. All good right? But Apollo is only slated for release at the end of the year, at which point WP7 might be playing catch up still.


Sunday, December 11, 2011

XBox Companion App For Windows Phone

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/a...fe-09c862ca6dd9

If you're an XBox user, you're going to love this - Microsoft has come up with an official companion app for Windows Phone that allows you to connect and control your XBox. Sounds real nice. If you're interested, give it a try.


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Why Microsoft Hasn't Upgraded Windows Phone 7 Minimum Specs

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone News" @ 11:00 AM

http://www.businessinsider.com/micr...eatment-2011-11

"He says the company gets better battery performance from single-core chips, and isn't sacrificing much. It also allows Microsoft to sell cheaper phones. Right now Microsoft is playing catch up in smartphones, so it's hoping that it can compete on price to make up ground."

Does this make sense to you? Granted the performance differences don't appear to be much, but as apps start demanding more in terms of hardware resources, there will come a point when single core chips just won't cut it. Microsoft might be handicapping itself by not allowing manufacturers more flexibility - you might still be playing catch up down the road because there hasn't been enough experimentation with more advanced hardware. And let's be honest, battery life even with single core chips isn't all that hot either.


Monster Windows Phone 7 in NYC

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone News" @ 08:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/07/...in-nycs-herald/

Think the Radar is big? What'll you see this one - Microsoft's built a 55 foot high Windows Phone 7.5 in the middle of New York City. It's not quite a working phone, but the tiles display live video feeds, and is a heck of an ad for the Metro UI which is also going to be the face of Windows 8. Maybe they're expecting King Kong to drop in?


Monday, September 12, 2011

Microsoft's Learning

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 PM

http://www.bgr.com/2011/09/07/micro...-windows-phone/

If you're one of the few who've actually picked up a Windows Phone 7 unit (hey, if you're reading this, you must be!), then you'll know that the buying experience leaves a lot to be desired. Despite Microsoft's spending on topline marketing, getting info (and working units) at retail isn't exactly easy. There's little in the way of support at ground level, except what little the handset manufacturers are willing to put up. For example, even here in Malaysia, I see plenty of ads on the Samsung's Galaxy II and HTC's burgeoning line of Android devices, but few for the Focus or the HD7. The carriers here aren't exactly pushing WP7 either - it's mainly the iPhone4 or Android. That may change soon, as Microsoft's strategy has changed - they're going to concentrate more on sales level training if this article from the Boy Genius Report is to be believed. Not before time, with Mango round the corner.


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Why Does T-Mobile Hate Microsoft? Or is it Vice Versa?

Posted by Ron Hostetter in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 01:00 PM

I’ve always been a Microsoft fan. Years ago, I worked for a consulting firm that was a Microsoft Partner, so I spent a lot of my time implementing various Microsoft technologies. A good portion of my salary was derived from the success of the Redmond company.

A few years ago, Microsoft released the Zune, and I jumped on board. It, of course, has become somewhat of a disappointment. I love the Zune Pass service, but the Zune music player device has already died. When Microsoft released their plans for a new Windows phone last year, I was excited. When I saw the early demos of the interface, I was thrilled. I thought that finally, Microsoft could put a dent in the iPhone universe. Read more...


Wednesday, August 31, 2011

TechEd: Nsquared Seamless Computing Prototype Demo

Posted by Richard Chao in "Windows Phone News" @ 10:55 PM

http://www.istartedsomething.com/20...australia-2011/

"An Australian software development company specializing in Surface applications took the spotlight of the Microsoft TechEd Australia 2011 developer keynote today with a pretty compelling "seamless computing" demo utilization the whole deck of Microsoft platforms including Windows Phone 7, Surface, Windows 7, Kinect and Silverlight."

This demo video shows a pretty cool seamless computing scenario utilizing a Windows Phone smartphone, Windows 7 tablet, Microsoft Surface, big screen controlled by Kinect and a few other technologies. Take a look at the future of computing as nsquared and Microsoft envisions.


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Microsoft Releases Windows Phone 7 Connector 2.0 for Mac

Posted by Darius Wey in "Windows Phone Software" @ 07:17 PM

http://itunes.apple.com/app/windows...415571499?mt=12

"Windows Phone 7 Connector is a simple, easy-to-use application designed to sync your favorite media files from your Mac, with your Windows Phone 7 or Zune HD. You can also sync photos and videos you captured on your phone with your Mac, and when needed, update your Windows Phone 7 software."

Mac users, make your way to the App Store and grab today's update of Windows Phone 7 Connector. Microsoft has tagged it with a version number of 2.0, and with it, there's full sync and import support for Aperture, drag-and-drop support, ringtone transfer and Windows Phone Marketplace support if your phone is running Windows Phone 7.5, as well as a bunch of other goodies ranging from backup and restore improvements to additional languages. And all for the good ol' price of free.


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A Mobility Market Crystal Ball

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/17/...hifting-mobile/

"In two years, we'll mark the thirtieth anniversary of the first commercially available cellphone -- built by Motorola, incidentally. Given this week's big news from Google, and other big events that we can only presume are yet to come, those two years may also prove to be some of the most interesting yet for the mobile industry."

If you read this site regularly then you likely enjoy tracking the mobility market and smartphone industry. In all of technology could there be more interesting and as fast changing sectors as these? We all tend to speculate these days on RIM's future, Google's moves, and Microsoft's challenges, not to mention the plethora of Android devices that are continually released. The folks over at Engadget must feel much the same. Donald Melanson posted an editorial today, citing statistics from such stalwarts as Gartner and Nielsen regarding the smartphone market. He speculates on what changes we might see in the future. What do you think of Microsoft buying HTC? What about HP getting out of the smartphone business? Where will Dell settle it's focus in the future? There are some juicy statistics and interesting ideas proposed in the editorial, not to mention in the comments from readers. It's a fun piece to peruse, and will stimulate debate for, well, at least another 24 hours or the next major market development, whichever comes first.


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Microsoft And Nokia Stock Up On Google Play On Motorola?

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:30 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/msft-and-n...rts+(wpcentral)

"While the long term impact of Google's acquisition of Motorola (Googarola?) is still anyone's guess, one short term effect appears be to Microsoft and Nokia's benefit. Microsoft's stock rose 1.63% (up .41 points) and Nokia's stock rose 17.35% (up .93 points) in today's trading activity."

On Monday Microsoft and Nokia made some stock price gains (they fell back slightly today). Whether these gains can be attributed to the Google announcement about their play for Motorola's mobile division is anyone's guess, but it is fun to speculate about the future impact of this development. Wpcentral had some fun with the speculation, as can be viewed by clicking the Read link.


Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Is Nokia Outing Its First WP7 Device On August 17th?

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 05:30 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/first-mang...rts+(wpcentral)

"This is very exciting news (if you're like me where you simply can't wait to have a potential uni-body Windows Phone handset) surrounding Gamescon, which is to be held at Cologne, Germany this month. It seems Nokia has some exciting news with actions and surprises that will make the 17th of August an evening to remember."

There are lots of people anticipating the release of the first WP7 device from Nokia, and it looks like we might actually have a date to focus on. It seems that date might be August 17th, just two weeks away. The purported evidence for this is hinted at by the raffle notice in the bottom left-hand corner of the announcement. We'll know for sure in a fortnight, but I bet the speculation will heighten now as things seem to be starting to happen for the new Microsoft-Nokia partnership.


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Android Getting Windows Live

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 07:00 PM

http://androinica.com/2011/07/micro...-dont-know-why/

"According to a post on the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft has given developers the tools for Windows Live integration across all major mobile platforms, including our beloved Android. The team in Redmond is giving you a use for that Hotmail account you made in the 90s, and they are bringing Messenger and SkyDrive along with it."

Never mind the snarky tone of the article - this is good stuff for both Windows Live, Android and Windows Phone 7 (kinda). I'm reminded of Microsoft's 1990s move to port Office to the Mac. This widened the user base, but also helped make the user transition between Mac OS and Windows easier. Did MS lose users on the OS side? Certainly, but I'd bet they more than made up for it in sales of Office. Same thing here, mostly. Android's currently the bigger and more popular platform, so offering Live integration makes a lot of sense from a narrow business viewpoint. Would this impact adoption of WP7? As the late-comer I don't think so - Windows Live integration isn't that much of a differentiator for WP7, so the main effect would be to make the transition between WP7 and Android easier. But hey, I could just be blowing smoke here - what do you guys think?


Thursday, June 30, 2011

Microsoft to Windows Phone MVPs: "You're Fired"

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 04:14 PM

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft...vp-program/9897

"Microsoft is making some big changes to one of its Windows Phone programs that is resulting in some unhappy former advocates. A number of Windows Phone Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) - the volunteer army that has helped Microsoft with its mobile phone charge - are being notified this week that Microsoft is dropping them from its program."

At some point in the future I'll have something eloquent to say about this news, but for now I can only shake my head in dismay. This is simply not the right way to treat people who have volunteered their time to help your customers.


Thursday, June 23, 2011

SeaRay is Nokia's New Windows Phone 7 Device: 21 Minutes of Video

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone News" @ 12:46 PM

http://www.technet.hu/telefon/20110...ndowsos_nokiat/

I feel somewhat conflicted about sharing this because the person from Technet.hu filming it directly ignored Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop's request that no one take photos or record videos of what was shown. It's done though, and it's up there being shared, so the genie can't be put back in the bottle. I'm watching it now and very little was shown or said about the hardware - dubbed SeaRay - in the first seven minutes. It looks like most of the video is a walk-through of Windows Phone 7 with Mango.


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Previewing Mango

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 10:00 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/mojo?utm_s...rts+(wpcentral)

"To say "Mango" for Windows Phone 7 is a large update is a bit of an understatement. It's massive. Although we have had two updates to our fledgling OS, both have been relatively minor. "Mango", however, is Microsoft's attempt to fill in all the gaps left from the v1.0 release last fall. Can it succeed?"

WPCentral has been playing with a preview version of Mango, and really like what they see. The scale of the improvements justifies Microsoft's labeling of Mango as WP7.5, and you'll see why after reading through the article.


Friday, May 27, 2011

Windows Phone 7.1 (Mango) on Video

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Software" @ 09:50 AM

http://www.phonescoop.com

Phonescoop got some hands-on time with Mango - well, someone else's hands - and this fills in a few of the blanks that I've been wondering about. Mango will really enhance Windows Phone, it's just a shame it's not going to be out until the fall. Let's hope it's early fall rather than late fall...


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