Microsoft’s Windows Phone inches past BlackBerry for #3 in IDC’s global rankings

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Microsoft’s Windows Phone is making modest but steady progress in the smartphone market, according to the latest numbers from the IDC research firm. Shipments of Windows Phone reached 7 million units in the first quarter, the firm says. That gave Microsoft 3.2 percent market share and put Windows Phone ahead of BlackBerry, which came in… Read More…

Location-sharing startup Glympse looks to expand its reach with first public SDK

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Seattle startup Glympse has made its mark with time-based location sharing technology, letting people share their spot on the map with others in real time, for a limited period of time. Increasingly the company has also been working with partners — including BMW, Ford and many others — to incorporate the technology into their own… Read More…

GeekWire Radio: Seattle startup HearIt is helping smartphones find their voice

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Smartphones are becoming a bigger part of our lives, but the real trick will be making them a seamless part of our lives. This week we get a sneak preview of one Seattle startup’s effort to push the boundaries of text-to-speech technology, aiming to make it easier to access content and stay informed in a… Read More…

Verizon CEO: Windows Phone will play a crucial role in the mobile industry

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At least one high-level mobile exec is optimistic about the long-term success of the Windows Phone. Verizon CEO Dan Mead said today that the Windows Phone has received good traction with OEM’s and thinks both Windows and Blackberry will play a crucial role in the mobile industry. Mead added that there needs to be more… Read More…

Apple makes gains in U.S. smartphone market, Microsoft stays stagnant in 4th place

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Apple continues to gain market share in the U.S. According to numbers out today from comScore, the Cupertino-based maker of the iPhone saw its share of the smartphone market in the U.S. jump from 36.3 percent to 39 percent for the 3-month period ending March 13. Google’s Android saw its share drop 1.4 percentage points to 52 percent,… Read More…

App of the Week: ‘Where You @’ enables text-based location queries

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Sometimes the most effective apps are the simplest. This week’s App of the Week, “Where You @?” is a quick and easy way for someone you know to find out where you are, just by texting two characters — @? — to your Android device. The app responds automatically to the person making the query… Read More…

Study: Windows Phone hits highest U.S. market share yet

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Maybe there’s some truth to the hilarious and equally ridiculous ad Microsoft put out today, which attempts to differentiate Windows Phone from Apple and Samsung by poking fun at stereotypical users of the leading smartphones. The first quarter numbers from Kantar show Windows making consistent gains in the U.S. smartphone market, as evidenced by growth of 1.9 percentage… Read More…

Google strikes back with ‘Now’ for iPhone and iPad

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Which online service will be the primary hub on your phone? Google this morning released its “Google Now” service for iPhone and iPad as a new feature of its existing Google app for Apple devices. It’s available by downloading or updating the Google app for iOS. The service, previously available for Android, features a series… Read More…

Meet Sidebar: Student programmer creates popular Android app at CodeDay Seattle

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We’re pretty geeky up here in the Pacific Northwest. With messenger bags full of the latest Windows gear and too many new startups to count, we’re in no short supply of tech gurus. So it’s no surprise that in Seattle we have StudentRND preparing high school techies for the real world that awaits them. StudentRND’s multi-annual CodeDay hackathon took… Read More…

Why I won’t buy another subsidized Android phone (and why you shouldn’t, either)

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Guest Commentary: In the past few weeks, T-Mobile has been trying to shake up the mobile phone industry by offering no-contract plans in conjunction with the iPhone 5. Notably, their USA CEO John Legere put the issue of subsidized phones front-and-center, saying, “This is the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever heard in my life!… Read More…