Apple co-founder Wozniak gives Microsoft props for design

wozniak

Has Steve Wozniak gone Team Microsoft? As the Huffington Post reports, the Apple co-founder said at an Entel technology press conference in Chile that he is impressed by the design of Microsoft’s new products. “I made a joke that Steve Jobs came back reincarnated at Microsoft,” he said, noting that he wants to own a Surface tablet…. Read More…

Microsoft: Windows Phone was way ahead of Apple’s Siri

sirismall

Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie, is making news today for recent comments downplaying Apple’s Siri intelligent assistant — telling Forbes’ Eric Savitz that Microsoft has had similar functionality for more than a year. Starting around the 2:00 mark in the interview above, Mundie points to examples including the ability to interact completely… Read More…

Microsoft accused of secretly collecting geolocation data on Windows Phone 7

windowsphone

Apple found itself in a bit of hot water back in April when researchers discovered that iPhones and 3G-enabled iPads recorded the position of devices in a hidden file. The revelation created an uproar, and now Microsoft is facing a similar problem. A class action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle this week alleges that… Read More…

Windows Phone games: Details on Microsoft’s ‘Fast Async’ service

orbitals

As part of an update about upcoming Windows Phone gaming features, Microsoft this week offered a teaser about a new service called “Fast Async” — promising that it will improve gameplay for turn-by-turn (a.k.a. asynchronous”) Xbox Live games on the phones. Classic examples include Scrabble knock-offs, chess, and other turn-based games played across devices. But beyond… Read More…

Windows Phone GM leaving Microsoft, with a rallying cry

Charlie Kindel

Microsoft veteran Charlie Kindel, who led the effort to get independent app developers on board with Windows Phone, is leaving the company after 21 years to launch a startup — but he says he still believes strongly in Microsoft’s long-term prospects against the likes of Apple and Google in the mobile market. “To the Windows… Read More…

Chart: Android commands 39% of U.S. smartphone market

android11

Android devices are landing in the hands of more Americans, according to a new survey by Nielsen. The fast-growing mobile operating system now accounts for 39 percent of the smartphone market — up from 36 percent when Nielsen ran its survey in May. Apple’s iOS, meanwhile, is in second place with 28 percent of the… Read More…

Windows Phone ‘Mango’ is ripe, now Microsoft needs to keep it from going bad

mangosmall

Microsoft’s Windows Phone team has completed its well-reviewed “Mango” software update and shipped the code to handset makers and wireless carriers for installation on devices to be sold in stores later this year. Now the team faces another challenge: Making sure it doesn’t further alienate the Windows Phone faithful, many of whom are still ticked off… Read More…

Windows Phone 7 ‘Mango’: Reviews show Microsoft making progress in mobile

windowsphone2

It looks like Gizmodo has found its next favorite phone. And it isn’t from Apple or Google. It’s from Microsoft. “It’s almost like the phone is happy to be alive. Which kind of makes you feel happy to use it. No other phone is like that,” writes Gizmodo’s Matt Buchanan in his initial review of Microsoft’s… Read More…

Microsoft: Zune HD apps coming to Windows Phone

zune

Microsoft plans to port its internally developed Zune HD apps to Windows Phone 7 in a move that highlights one of the challenges that hampered the company’s dedicated music hardware. Although the Windows Phone 7 interface is modeled after the Zune interface, and each Windows Phone contains the Zune music software, the Windows Phone devices… Read More…

IDC cuts 2011 Windows Phone forecast — still thinks Microsoft will be No. 2 worldwide in 2015

windowsphonenew

Research firm IDC is out with new projections for the smartphone market, sticking to its prediction that Microsoft’s Windows Phone will be the No. 2 operating system worldwide by 2015 — ahead of Apple’s iPhone but well behind Google’s Android, which is projected to have more than 40 percent of the market. However, the firm’s… Read More…