Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Our brother editor Rene Ritchie of TiPB fame is still out at GDC 2010 in San Francisco, and he's caught up with Microsoft's Loke Uei to talk a little more about developing for Windows Phone 7 Series, and what's coming up."

Have some time this afternoon and want to hear more about upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series? Then check out this video interview with Loke Uei from WMExperts!

"Windows Mobile phones continue to bleed US subscribers, with Android devices picking up most of the lost subscriber share. Can you say free falling? Today, ComScore released standard handset and smartphone data for the three-month period of November 2009 to January 2010. ComScore designates the platforms by vendor. Microsoft smartphone subscriber share fell to 15.7 percent from 19.7 percent three months earlier. Meanwhile, Google rose to 7.1 percent from 2.8 percent during the same time period."

I agree that Windows Mobile is hurting - for now. I hardly ever see anyone with a Windows Mobile device anymore and I really don't hear many talking about near future purchases of Windows Mobile devices. But if we look back, sales of MS Vista were also low but sales of Windows 7 have been very good. I think the same is going to be true for the Windows Phone 7 series. And even though it's still months away, I don't think we'll see enough drastic changes in the Iphone or Android devices to keep people away from what Microsoft will offer. As a matter of fact, I think it will be a welcome change for many. The bottom line? I think Comscore's data collection from November 2010 to January 2011 will be much different. Do you agree or disagree?

"Last March, we launched the YouTube Mobile app for Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile phones. Since then, the application was translated to 12 languages, installed on millions of devices around the world, and has been chosen as a Nokia Ovi Top App of 2009. Today we're excited to announce the release of the latest version of the YouTube Mobile app, version 2.4."

Looks like Google has updated their YouTube app for Windows Mobile, so if viewing video on your phone is a high priority, head over to get the download.

"Windows Phone 7 isn't just Microsoft's attempt to compete against Apple's iPhone. It's also the introduction of the first portable Xbox platform. During GDC today, we talked to Xbox Live GM Ron Pessner and XNA Game Studio manager Michael Klucher about how games integrate into the mobile platform and what gamers and developers can expect in the future."

If you're interested in learning a little more about the user and development experiences of games -- both Xbox LIVE-enabled and not -- on a Windows Phone 7 Series device, head over to Joystiq to read an interview with Xbox LIVE GM, Ron Pessner, and XNA Game Studio Manager, Michael Klucher. And for the Gamerscore-obsessed among us, take note. Much like the majority of Arcade games on the Xbox 360, each game will pack 200 Gamerscore points for you to unlock, and as you do, you can expect to hear that satisfying "Achievement Unlocked" sound you've grown to love.

"Synerge Tech Solutions has released Google Analytics Mobile. As the name implies, Google Analytics Mobile allows you to access your web site's Google Analytic's data directly from your Windows Phone. For those not familiar with Google Analytics, it is a program that tracks your website activity ranging from the number of visits to where your site visitors are located (geographic regions)."

Are you an analytics fiend? Always wanting to check your Web site stats, no matter where you are? Then you'll be interested in Google Analytics Mobile from Synerge Tech Solutions. It's a neat concept, if only in that it will allow you to drill down and learn more about your Web site stats when you have some down time (sitting in the dentist's waiting room, etc.).

"As I was sitting on the plane heading to GDC 2010, I started reminiscing about the explosive growth we've seen in developing for the mobile gaming industry over the last few years. It wasn't long ago when we had to show up early to learn about anything related to game development on portable devices. This year, however, developers are already lined up to learn more, as mobile gaming commands several summits at GDC and is woven in throughout the conference. At GDC this week we're giving everyone a first look at the latest and greatest, XNA Game Studio 4.0, which provides a powerful, productive, and portable technology for game development on Windows Phone 7 Series, Xbox 360, and Windows PC."

Image courtesy of Engadget.

If there's anything about Windows Phone 7 Series that you should be excited about, it's definitely the gaming potential. Microsoft has just announced XNA Game Studio 4.0, which will give developers the opportunity to deliver highly immersive and highly integrated gaming experiences on the Xbox 360, PC, and Windows Phone 7 Series. Engadget has a deluge of screenshots, a video, and some details on achievements and upcoming titles for your perusal, so scoot over there and check them out. As an avid gamer, I'm pretty excited with where this is heading and look forward to jumping into Xbox LIVE not just on the Xbox 360, but on the Windows Phone, too.

"T-Mobile has the release honors and is now showing the HD2 as "coming soon" in its phone inventory. We've also got the first "in the wild" shots courtesy of TmoNews showing that big Blockbuster shortcut linked front and center for downloading On Demand movies directly to the device. Still no firm price or date but $199.99 on contract ($449.99 unlocked) sometime around 24 March sounds about right"

Photo Courtesy of TmoNews, and a piece by Engadget to as well, are the latest proof that the HD2 is about to drop on T-Mobile USA. Start preparing your credit card or bank account now...

"Opera Software today launched a native version of Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile 5- and 6-based handsets. By integrating Opera Mini with the Windows Mobile platform, Opera is able to deliver an optimized version of the popular Opera Mini browser that dramatically improves performance and the overall user experience. While Opera Mini traditionally requires Java, the new Windows Mobile version does not, which means that Opera Mini will work on any Windows Mobile phone. The Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile includes the same rich feature set as the Java-based version. Renowned features, including tabbed browsing, the password manager, bookmarks and Speed Dial, are built-in to deliver convenience while on-the-go."

If you've found Opera Mobile to be too much for your needs and prefer something a little more lightweight such as Opera Mini, then you'll be happy to know that the latest beta is now native on Windows Mobile. That's right, there's no longer any need for a JVM. It's free, so head over to the Opera web site, download it, and give it a whirl.

"Guess we don't have to wait until MIX to have all our Windows Phone 7 Series questions answered! Microsoft's Eric Rudder, speaking at TechEd Middle East, showed off a game developed in Visual Studio as a singular project (with 90% shared code) that plays on Windows with a keyboard, a Windows Phone 7 Series prototype device with accelerometer and touch controls, and the Xbox 360 with the Xbox gamepad. Interestingly, not only is the development cross-platform friendly, but the game itself (a simple Indiana Jones platformer was demoed) saves its place and lets you resume from that spot on whichever platform you happen to pick up."

So if you're wondering what is meant by the Xbox live tile on a Windows Phone 7, this video should help explain what will soon be possible. Hit up this video, and find out! Warning: It's pretty cool!

Charlie Kindel of Microsoft recently gave CNET a demonstration of the WP7 interface showing off some new apps and the XBox Live hub. He also explains the primary tools for WP7 apps (XNA and Silverlight) and Microsoft's more specific direction for developers that'll make it much easier to build apps and extend them to the new Start page.