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Microsoft ends support for Windows 10 Mobile this year
Microsoft is winding down support for Windows 10 Mobile. The company will stop releasing security and software updates on December 10th, and it will end technical support for the devices on that date.
Microsoft exec says Windows 10 Mobile is no longer a 'focus'
It's no secret that work on Windows 10 Mobile has wound down given the lack of new devices and software features (talk of mobile Windows updates was virtually absent at Build, for example), but what's happening with it, exactly? Well, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore has just settled the matter. The Windows VP (and former Windows Phone program manager) informed Twitter users that new features and hardware for Windows 10 Mobile "aren't the focus" any more. There will be fixes and security patches, of course, but you shouldn't expect more than that.
Intel adopts eSIM to support Microsoft's connected PC vision
PCs are making a comeback, if the news out of Computex 2017 is any indication, and Microsoft wants to make sure they're all constantly connected. To support that vision, Intel is making its current and future modems compatible with eSIMs, so future laptops can connect to LTE networks without physical SIM-card trays. That's because the technology you'd typically find in a SIM card will be embedded into its modems, so you can connect your machine just by entering a phone number and avoid having to fiddle with a tiny tray.
Valve's mobile version of Steam finally hits Windows Phone
Steam hasn't forgotten about the remaining Windows Phone faithful. It just seemed that way, with folks on Android and iOS getting a mobile app way back in 2012. The Windows Store listing says that you'll be able to use Stream Guard's authentication system, trade and sell items, keep an eye on the game marketplace and remote download and install games to your PC via the application. Just in time for this year's summer sale; how about that?
The collapse of Microsoft and Nokia's mobile business
Microsoft's smartphone business is in free fall, with the company selling just 2.3 million devices in the last three months. It's likely that you'll still be able to buy a Microsoft-branded smartphone, but it's probably not something the firm will devote a lot of time and energy to. After all, making phones is an expensive business, and if there's no chance to make any sort of profit, it's not worth the effort. If you've been watching Microsoft over the last five years, it'll come as no surprise that its smartphone plans have foundered. If you want to explore the evolution and collapse of Microsoft's mobile ambitions, check out our timeline.
Instagram beta arrives for Windows 10 mobile devices
Instagram first arrived on Windows mobile devices in beta form back in 2013. Today, the photographic social app is available for Windows 10 handsets, but it retains the beta designation. As with any early software release, the app arrives with a fair share of bugs. Those known issues include crashing while taking and editing a photo, using Facebook to log in and the "Share to" tool. However, all signs point to this being a full version of the app as previous beta release for Windows left out features like video support and the in-app camera. If you're looking to give it a go, you snag the app from the Windows Store. Oh yeah, you can send feedback to the folks at Instagram by physically shaking your phone.
Microsoft bought a company that makes porting apps easier
Microsoft is taking its relatively new role as a mobile app maker pretty seriously. So much so that it's bought Xamarin, a company that specializes in cross-platform application development. The platform uses a shared C# codebase to "write the full set of native APIs and mobile capabilities provided by each platform," according to Microsoft's Scott Guthrie. In English, that basically boils down to "apps that run really well across Android, iOS and Windows." Satya Nadella and Co. have utilized Xamarin before, of course, on the likes of the Azure cloud platform and Office 365.
Microsoft's 5.7-inch Lumia 950 XL is liquid cooled and $649
While the Surface Pro 4 may garner the bulk of the attention from today's Microsoft event, the folks in Redmond had other stuff to reveal, too. Those other announcements include a pair of smartphones, one of which is the supersized Lumia 950 XL. Thanks to a handful of leaks, we already had an idea what the handset would look like and some details of its spec sheet. The 950 XL features a larger OLED screen than its sibling, measuring 5.7 inches at 518 ppi. It also offers 32GB of storage that you can expand via microSD card up to a whopping (theoretical) 2TB. There's a 20-megapixel camera with a Zeiss lens around back with triple LED RGB natural flash, optical image stabilization and a dedicated camera button as well, continuing to leverage the photo chops from Nokia. That wordy flash description basically means people will look more natural in photos where you have to employ said feature. And, of course, all of that runs on Windows 10.
Nielsen: more than half of US teens now own smartphones
Yes, we know Android is holding steady at about 52 percent of US smartphone market share. What's interesting is just who's driving growth as a whole. According to Nielsen, 58 percent of American teens between 13 and 17 now have a smartphone -- that's a big jump from 36 percent a year earlier and a sign that the youngest owners have a significant sway over where the market is going. Not that young adults don't have an impact. Although the 25-to-34 crowd isn't making as big a comparative leap, its smartphone ownership has climbed from 59 percent to a dominating 74 percent in the same space of time. No matter how much youth set the pace, it's clear Android is still having an effect. Among the US smartphone buyers Nielsen tracked in the three months leading up to July, 58.6 percent went Google's direction. Most of that gain came from BlackBerry owners switching allegiances, which doesn't bode well when RIM is counting on existing owners to fuel BlackBerry 10 demand. We'd be careful about citing a one-point shrink in iPhone sales as a shift in the balance of power, however -- while it could be part of a trend, it could also represent the habitual lull in Apple's sales during the weeks before a major iPhone introduction.
ComScore: Android tops 52 percent of US smartphone share, iPhone cracks the 33 percent mark
Both Apple and Google have reasons to break out the champagne in the wake of ComScore's latest market share figures. Android is still sitting prettier than ever and just reached a new high of 52.2 percent for US smartphone share as of this past July, no doubt in part through at least a few Galaxy S III sales. Not that Apple is worrying about its US stake just yet, as the iPhone just passed the one-third mark to hit 33.4 percent -- it gained share faster than Android in the space of the preceding three months. We don't have much good news elsewhere, though, as the BlackBerry lost its hold on two-digit market share at the same time as Windows and Symbian continued to cede ground. As for the overall cellphone space? The familiar pecking order of Samsung, LG, Apple, Motorola and HTC remains intact, although only Apple and HTC gained any traction with their respective 16.3 percent and 6.4 percent slices of the pie. LG has dropped quickly enough that it's now within Apple's crosshairs at 18.4 percent. As significant as the shifts can be, we're most interested in what happens two months down the line, when ComScore can report September share: a certain phone's launch is likely to skew the numbers, regardless of what HTC and Motorola bring to the table. Just be advised that US market share isn't everything.
Swann TrueBlue 4000 series D1 DVRs pack up to 8 cameras, 1TB of storage for home security
Home security may not have reached all-seeing aerial eye proportions, but Swann's TrueBlue 4000 series of D1 DVR systems can place up to eight digital peepers throughout your island fortress or humble abode. With a resolution of 480 x 704 pixels, the cameras offer "DVD-quality" video and feature night vision with up to 65 feet of visibility. Those hankering to remotely keep tabs on their homestead can load up the free SwannView app for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian to watch live video on mobile devices. Footage can also be viewed on monitors using HDMI or VGA connections and can be backed up through USB, eSATA or over a network. The maximum one terabyte of storage space nets continuous recording for up to 30 days -- or longer if the device's motion detection settings are flipped on. A 500GB base model with a quartet of cams rings up at $549.99, while the more expensive $649.99 and $749.99 models each pack 1TB hard drives and eight channel support. However, only the priciest of the trio comes packaged with the octet of cameras. Head past the break for the full PR and a glimpse of the rig in action.
Editorial: HTC's departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands
HTC's closure of its South Korean office may seem yet another blow to the company this year, but don't be alarmed: we saw it coming. It's a given that Peter Chou's gang is cutting back in response to its recent weak performance, but the more interesting takeaway here is the fact that the South Korean smartphone market is one tough nut for foreign brands to crack open. Just walk into any carrier shop in Seoul and you'll see the shelves dominated by devices from Samsung, LG and Pantech. If you're lucky, you may spot the odd Sony, Motorola and HTC phones cowering in a corner. So why is that the case? Let's take a look at the how it all started.
ComScore: Android back above 51 percent of US share, iOS still growing briskly
We're starting to see a distinct shift in US smartphone market share that leaves Android having to share the spotlight. ComScore's results for this past June have Google hitting a new high of 51.6 percent share, which still gives it something to crow about -- that's both a small increase over a month earlier and a return to the 51 percent mark. However, Android is still competing with an iOS platform that's been growing at a healthy rate, reaching 32.4 percent of the American space. The fuel for both sides comes from an all too familiar decline in BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows share. Samsung is still in the top spot as far as manufacturers, although it's shrinking where Apple and HTC are on the way up. We'll be looking to see how much the Galaxy S III affects the numbers during the summer, but less patient observers can get the manufacturer results after the break and the full scoop on current market share at the source.
HTC HD2 gets unofficial Android 4.1 Jelly Bean port, becomes the Phone That Would Not Die
There's a golden rule for the HTC HD2: if there's a new mobile OS, the HD2 must get a port. It's practically a law of nature, then, that Evervolv at the XDA-Developers forums has produced a pre-alpha port of Android 4.1 for the originally Windows Mobile-based legend. More components are working than not despite the extremely early state, with the camera, Google Now and web browser being the remaining bugaboos. We're still warned that the experimental firmware isn't meant for day-to-day use, but there's every intention of making the release stable -- good news for anyone who's eager to avoid a flash-in-the-pan ROM. If that happens, the HD2 will have had nearly as many lives as a cat.
Nielsen has Android near 52 percent of US smartphone share in Q2, iPhone ekes out gains
If there was doubt as to whether or not Android would soon become the majority smartphone platform in the US, that's just been erased by Nielsen. Google crossed the tipping point in the second quarter after getting close in the winter, with 51.8 percent of current smartphone users running some variant on the green robot's OS. As we've seen in the past, though, the increase is coming mostly at the expenses of platforms already being squeezed to within an inch of their lives, such as the BlackBerry (8.1 percent) and Windows (4.3 percent combined). Apple still isn't in a position to fret: it kept climbing to 34.3 percent and swung the attention of recent buyers just slightly back in its direction. The real question for many of us might center on what happens in a summer where Samsung has thrown a Galaxy S III-sized curveball at Americans and any new iPhone is likely still a few months away.
ComScore: iOS and Android market share continues to climb, RIM and Motorola continue to fall
Ready for some hardcore smartphone market share numbers? ComScore's got 'em for the three-month period ending in May 2012, and you probably won't be terribly surprised by the outcome. First, let's tackle smartphone platforms: Apple and Google posted minor increase month-over-month at 0.5 and 0.1 percent, respectively (1.7 and 0.8 over a three-month span). Microsoft (consisting of Windows Phone and Windows Mobile) didn't budge between April and May, though it nudged up a tenth of a percentage point since February. RIM dropped 0.2 percent over one month, but it already experienced a much more painful sting -- 2.0 percent -- during the three-month period. Symbian also went through similar concerns, going down 0.2 percent month-over-month and 0.4 percent since February. As for specific manufacturers, Apple once again comes out on top, adding 1.5 percent to its customer base over the last three months for a total of 15 percent share. Samsung, still leading the pack in total market share at 25.7 percent, only grew by 0.1. Given the OEM's success in deploying the Galaxy S III to every major US carrier, we suspect that number will spurt up even higher over the next quarter. Among the companies losing share: LG, Motorola and HTC, losing 0.3, 0.8 and 0.2 percent, respectively.
IDC: Android has a heady 59 percent of world smartphone share, iPhone still on the way up
We've been jonesing for a more international look at smartphone market share for the start of 2012, and IDC is now more than willing to oblige. In case you'd thought Android's relentless march upwards was just an American fling, Google's OS has jumped from 36.1 percent of the world's share a year ago to exactly 59 percent in the first quarter of this year. That's nearly two thirds of all smartphones, folks. As we've seen in the past, Android is siphoning off legacy users looking for something fresher: Symbian and the BlackBerry have both lost more than half of their share in one year's time, while Linux (led mostly by Bada) and Windows Mobile / Phone together lost small pieces of the pie despite raw shipment numbers going up. As for Apple? Even with all the heat in the kitchen, the iPhone's share grew to 23 percent, leading to a staggering 82 percent of smartphone buyers siding with either the Cupertino or Mountain View camps.
Switched On: Clash of the troubled titans
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Fans of the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences can appreciate similarly contrived dynamics in comparing Nokia and RIM (neither of which, contrary to the occasionally expressed opinion, has been murdered despite "Apple and Android" consisting of three words and 15 letters). Both companies are former smartphone market share leaders -- RIM in North America, Nokia globally. Both have had success in developing economies with efficient operating systems that they plan to support indefinitely. Both developed reputations for high build quality and good antenna design, and both were initially dismissive of the iPhone as they continue to see Android as the path to commoditization. And after precipitous market share declines, both hired new CEOs. Nokia, a European company, hired a CEO raised in Canada. RIM, a Canadian company, hired a CEO raised in Europe. These men now struggle with keeping their companies part of a viable alternative to the two dominant marketplace offerings. Since embarking on their new operating system strategies, though, there have been many contrasts. While Nokia hired an outsider as a CEO, RIM hired an insider. Nokia decided to adopt a licensed OS; RIM decided to build its own (based largely on acquisitions). And now that both the Mobile World Congress and BlackBerry World conferences have passed, there's an opportunity to assess their comeback progress.
Nielsen: Over 50 percent of US mobile users own smartphones, Android and iPhone sitting pretty
Smartphones crossed an important milestone in March, based on Nielsen's estimates. Just over half of cellphone owners in the US -- 50.4 percent, to be exact -- had a smartphone of some kind, making dumbphones the minority for the first time. The smartphone tale of the tape shows that the OS split has largely tapered off since February. Android has only moved slightly and still sits atop the heap, claiming 48.5 percent of users, but Apple hasn't had to worry given that 32 percent of smartphone owners use an iPhone. As is increasingly becoming the familiar story, other platforms trailed well behind: RIM's BlackBerry sat at 11.6 percent, while Windows Mobile, at 4.1 percent, was more popular than its Windows Phone successor's 1.7 percent. Apple can still claim to be the top-selling individual smartphone maker in the country, suggesting Samsung hasn't translated its worldwide lead to the US just yet.
Microsoft reminds users of Windows Mobile Marketplace's imminent demise
It truly is the end of an era. In just under two weeks, Microsoft will follow through with its plan to shutter the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace for good. In a cautionary email, Redmond asked that those still using a WM device "install any available updates in advance of the [...] shut-down," scheduled for May 17th. Not all hope is lost for the antiquated mobile operating system, though, as the announcement reminds technology holdouts that application updates can be acquired directly from developers (good luck with that). If you're out on the town this evening having a few drinks with friends, remember to pour one out for Windows Mobile, a true OG smartphone operating system.
