With Windows Phone 8 just around the corner, is Windows Phone 7.x all-but-dead? Actually, no. There have been several reports of new Windows Phone 7.8 devices coming to China and many third world countries in recent times. This makes a lot of sense, actually. Now that the platform is aging, Microsoft could potentially cut down the fees associated with licensing the software and could market it as an alternative to Symbian.

The vast majority of smartphone users in the developing world are either powered by the aging Symbian or by RIM Blackberrry. Some users also make use of the older Windows Mobile platform. Considering Nokia’s special relationship with Microsoft these days, Windows Phone 7.x could really appeal to Symbian users that are ready for something a bit more modern, as well as the small minority of consumers stuck with older Windows Mobile phones. One example we’ve seen before of a decent lower-end WP7 device is the Nokia 510.

The device in question today is the View S606, which is said to likely be the Chinese version of the Russian Alcatel One Touch View. The View S606 runs a Qualcomm single-core MSM7227A processor at 1GHz. It also has 512MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage, a 4-inch display, 1500mAh battery and 5MP camera. Priced under $250 without any contract in Russia, this could certainly be an affordable alternative for Symbian and Blackberry users. Sure, it isn’t nearly as powerful as the quad-core devices we are starting to see in North America, Europe, Japan and other major markets– but it is still worlds better than a traditional ‘dumb phone’.

What do you think? Could Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.x find an afterlife in developing countries?

[ source ]

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Perhaps users of Windows Phone devices don’t understand that the “marketplace” is where you go to buy apps? For some inexplicable reason, Microsoft is appearing going through the process of rebranding its Windows Phone Marketplace into Windows Phone Store. I guess this is falling in line with what Google did too, shifting from an Android Market to a Google Play Store too.

It’s also possible that this is simply Microsoft’s latest attempt to bring everything under the same over-arching umbrella, which is fundamentally the same thing that they’ve started doing with certain Xbox, Zune and Windows-branded offerings. After all, there is a “Windows Store” that’ll come along with Windows 8… but this is still the Windows Phone Store, so it’s not like the two are intricately intertwined either.

At this point, Microsoft is neither confirming nor denying the name change, but the “Windows Phone Store” naming scheme has started to appear in a few places, like on the Windows Phone Dev Center where it says you can “create great apps and add them to the Windows Phone Store for the world to see, try, and buy.”

[Source]

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The Nokia Lumia 800 has been officially listed on the Telus Mobility website, coming with an official launch date of March 2. The product page is also saying that the Lumia 800 will be offered “only from Telus,” snatching up the exclusive away from Bell and Rogers. Quick highlights include the 3.7-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display, 16GB internal memory, and 8MP Carl Zeiss camera with LED flash.

No word on pricing just yet, but we can see that Telus will have the Lumia 800 in your choice of black, blue, or pink. And yes, it’ll take advantage of that 4G HSPA network too.

The post Telus Illuminates March 2 for Nokia Lumia 800 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

We already know that Microsoft wants to tie together its various services. That’s why the recent Xbox 360 dashboard update lets us search Bing with our voices (via Kinect). And that’s also why there is the Xbox Companion App for Windows Phone devices. As it turns out, though, Microsoft wants to expand beyond WP7 with its mobile ambitions. It wants iOS and Android too.

At least, that’s what a new job posting leads us to believe. They’re looking for a senior development engineer to work on the Xbox Live Mobile team. The kicker is that they say they want to “bring the latest and greatest gaming and entertainment experience to mobile platforms including Windows Phone, iOS, and other mobile platforms.”

While the “big plus” of having experience developing for Windows Phone, iOS and Android could simply mean that the successful candidate is a good, well-rounded developer, it could also mean that Microsoft wants him or her to develop for these other platforms too. There’s already the My Xbox LIVE app fro iOS, for example.

Why the sudden interest in playing friendly with other platforms? Well, there’s word going around that Sony is approaching the other Android device manufacturers for PlayStation Suite certification. If they’re able to get the PlayStation brand as the brand for mobile gaming, the Xbox brand could be left in the dust. One thing’s pretty much for certain though: Nintendo wants no part of this, at least for now.

The post Xbox Live Gaming Enroute to iOS and Android Platforms Too? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

This big marketing push will take on many approaches, including everything from simple awareness campaigns to incentives for retailers to push Windows Phone devices. There are reports that sales guys could get as much as $10 to $15 per handset sold. The money comes from Microsoft, as well as partners like Nokia and Samsung, and it’s reportedly going to all be spent in “early 2012.” The Nokia Ace from AT&T, in particular, will be getting a “concerted advertising push.”

It’s clear that Android and iOS are the elephants in the room when it comes to smartphone platforms, since only 5.2% of all smartphone subscribers are using Microsoft’s mobile OS. If you thought you were sick of the “To the Cloud” campaign, you’re about to get really sick of Windows Phone… but at least more of the general population will even know of its existence.

The post Windows Phone Marketing About To Get $200 Million Booster Shot appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Windows Phone Tango doesn’t sound like it’s going to be nearly as substantial as its tropical fruit-named predecessor, but it will reportedly still bring some new moves to the dance floor. For instance, we’re hearing that it’ll get support for smaller screens, smaller chassis sizes, and even LTE. Considering all the LTE-equipped Droids out there, that’s a good thing for Redmond.

But it takes two to tango! There’s a good chance that Nokia will be showing off its new Nokia 719 and Nokia 900 at CES, both of which could very well ship with Tango right out of the box. The newest WP7 update is rumored to be released “soon” after CES.

Looking a little further down the roadmap to what could be Windows Phone 8, we’re hearing that the “Apollo” update is currently being slated to launch in mid-June 2012. Does this mean you should wait? Or is it likely that existing WP7 and WP7.5 devices will be eligible for the WP8 upgrade?

The post CES To Set Stage For Windows Phone Tango Update appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It’s no secret that Nokia lost out on what they used to be in the United States. When Nokia announced its smartphone for the European market, many wondered when it would hit the Western world. According to Nokia they plan on bringing the technology overseas very soon. The reason for the delay was to make sure they could make their smartphones appealing here in the US and Canada without cutting into established provider markets like Android and iOS. According to Nokia they will be targeting their Windows devices towards first time smartphone users that are intimidated by the technology and want something easier to learn. With Windows Phone 7 having tight integration with Facebook, Twitter, and more Nokia believes that Windows smartphones have a strong appeal to those who have been hesitant to make the switch from feature phone to smartphone.

This is only part of the strategy, however as it seems that Nokia has also been waiting to release its phones until they are ready for LTE support, a feature that Windows Phone 7.5 doesn’t offer. It seems that in order to support LTE they are either waiting for Tango or planning to use Mango-based code drops that include LTE functionality. It seems that AT&T is a big part of this plan and Nokia plans to offer an LTE-version of the Lumia 800 through this network. The Lumia 800 may not have the largest screen or a front-facing camera, but it is a solid Windows 7 phone. Without any solid confirmation from Nokia, we shouldn’t get our hopes up, but a version that works well with 4G technology certainly sounds like an appealing idea.

The post Nokia Lumia Coming To The States With 4G? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

So, to help spread the word about Windows Phone 7 (and WP7.5 Mango), Nokia is planning to launch 26 Wi-Fi hotspots spread out around London. These free hotspots will utilize existing telephone boxes, connecting them to 20Mbps DSL lines. That said, speed will be capped at 1Mbps downstream and 500kbps upstream. Naturally, connecting to these WiFi access points will lead you to a promotional splash page like the one shown above.

This is a similar strategy as that employed by Google in airports a couple years ago, building the brand awareness with free WiFi for the random populace. This gives Nokia a way into the heads of consumers to promote the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, since they may not be able to get their attention otherwise. It also helps that they can collect some data about the people who use these hotspots, since that’ll surely be a part of the T&C agreement.

If these are still around when the 2012 London Olympics take place, I imagine they’ll get quite a bit of attention (and data).

The post Nokia Promotes Windows Phone With Free WiFi For Londoners appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

What else is coming? Other features include: “deep linking capability, the ability to link features like Messages and News Feeds to the Start page, Features toasts and tile notifications and the ability to pin selected elements of the app.”

Having push notifications is being warmly welcomed by Windows Phone users.

[Source via Windows Phone]

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Whenever you decide it’s time for a new phone, whether because it’s not working or you want the latest and fastest, there are likely some basic things you do. For example, you might do a ton of research on various phones before settling for a specific one. Then you might talk to the customer service reps at the mall to see what else they can tell you. While that’s all fine and dandy and will help you in your quest, Microsoft, HTC and Orange are trying something a little different in Poland.

The three companies are currently doing product promotion in Poland by lending out HTC Mozart phone units for a limited time to mobile users in order to let them experience firsthand what it is like to use a Windows Phone 7 smartphone. A similar promotion by Play and an Android handset netted 150,000 testers for their phones. We’ll see how successful it is in Poland.

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