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All posts tagged "ios"


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Do Apps Look Better On iOS or Windows Phone?

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 05:00 PM

http://pocketnow.com/2012/06/17/whi...d-windows-phone

"A while back, Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak said about Windows Phone that "I'm kinda shocked how every screen is much more beautiful." So we thought it would be fun to look at a few popular iOS apps and how their Windows Phone counterparts compare in the looks department."

Here is a delightfully fun little exercise. Hit the Read link and test whether you like the look of a selection of popular apps on an iOS device or Windows Phone better? This is an unscientific test, but as you look at each image ask yourself to consider things like typography, clarity, ease of use, and overall appeal. Do you suspect people tend to like the look of apps on their own device platform simply because they are more familiar with their style, or do you think they actually do think they look a bit better? It's subjective, but I do like to the look of this OpenTable app on Windows Phone.


Monday, January 2, 2012

What Is Holding Back Windows Phone 7?

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 12:30 PM

http://ceklog.kindel.com/2011/12/26...t-it-taken-off/

"People ask me all the time why, if I think Windows Phone is such an excellent product, sales appear so lackluster. My belief is Microsoft's approach with WP7 has a impedance mismatch with the carriers & device manufacturers while Google's approach reduces friction with carriers & device manufacturers at the expense of end users. The question is: will end-user dissatisfaction with Android's inconsistencies and fragmentation be strong enough to allow the better product to succeed."

There is an interesting post over at the cek.log blog site that asks the question "Windows Phone is Superior; Why Hasn't it Taken Off?". Needless to say, this is not a trivial question and opinions will be broad. What is particularly interesting about the post is the market analysis that is provided. The post segments the market players into four categories or "sides": users, carriers, OS providers, and device manufacturers. The post continues on to suggest how Apple, Google and Microsoft have interacted or played with each market category. A critical aspect of the market interaction, according to the post, is that Microsoft has thumbed its nose at "both the device manufacturers and mobile carriers. WP (Windows Phone) says "here's the hardware spec you shalt use" (to the device manufacturers). And it says "Here's how it will be updated" (to the carriers).". The suggestion is that this strategy has, to this point, impacted Windows Phone's ability to develop better market acceptance (in particular, actual sales).

What are your thoughts? Is Microsoft facing too much of an uphill battle to continue on with Windows Phone, or will we see the relationship with Nokia and potentially others sway the market to make it a more viable success?


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It's All About The Interface (And That's Where WP7 Shines)

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 07:00 PM

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/why.../?tag=mncol;txt

"One company makes a beautiful, intuitive, elegant interface, and the other makes a dated, clunky interface. But now it's Microsoft showing off the thing of beauty, and Apple that's behind the times. Microsoft is the underdog and Apple is the monolithic, restrictive monopoly. Has the world gone mad?"

Rich Trenholm, over at CNet, doesn't want an iPhone any more. It's not because they are not impressive phones, and it's not because the iOS app store isn't big enough. It's primarily because he believes there are better smartphone interfaces for him to work with, ones that make him more productive without having to wade through the icon metaphor of the Apple iOS devices. His preferred interface? The Windows Phone 7 Metro interface. His editorial goes into more detail about the reasons why he prefers the WP7 interface, and it's quite interesting reading. The Read link has the complete story.


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Which Smartphone Operating System do You Prefer?

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)" @ 10:30 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/...ext-smartphone/

"In a recent report from Nielsen, Google snagged 40 percent of the smartphone market, while Apple captured approximately 28 percent -- up just barely .01 percentage point from last year."

The only thing that surprises me about this is that there are so many that desire RIM for their next smartphone operating system. Maybe that and the fact that 30% of the late adopters aren't sure what they want. You would think that with all of the information out there, this percentage wouldn't be as high.


Monday, August 22, 2011

Mozilla Has Another Option (They Hope) For You App Fans

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)" @ 03:00 AM

http://9to5mac.com/2011/08/19/mozil...t=Google+Reader

"Apple and Google are clearly the two front-runners competing for market share in the mobile world, which is why it's no surprise we think of iOS and Android when we think of apps. With the growth of the smartphone industry also came the resurgence of native apps (thanks largely in part to Apple's App Store which still dominates the space). However, Mozilla hopes that web apps will soon mature to provide a comparable experience for end users and an even better alternative for developers."

It's no secret that some are switching to web-based versus app based access due to what they deem restrictive guidelines in the Apple App store. This would make this move by Mozilla a pretty astute one, and since it is across all platforms it would appear to be a benefit regardless of your phones operating system. The plans are for the APIs to interact with your phones address book, contacts etc so you would have the same functionality as if you were using a native app. The only difference is that it would be in your browser and would work the same on an iPhone, Android or Windows phone platform. I really don't have a preference per se, since I use very few apps that work with Internet access anyway, so if I'm using a browser or an app, as long as it functions the same why would I care? The only reason I can think of would be one of security or stability, since the apps on the iPhone go through approval process. What are your preferences? Or does it matter to you? If it does matter, I'm curious why.


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Ilium Software Offering eWallet GO! for 99 Cents/Free

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Software" @ 03:03 PM

http://www.iliumsoft.com/ewalletgo

"Do you have too much info to remember? Do you wish you could take all your passwords, credit cards, account information and logins with you - so they're handy when you want them? But keep them safe - so you don't have to worry about intruders finding them? You need eWallet GO!TM If you want secure, easy, mobile storage for all your info, just grab eWallet GO! and take your passwords with you everywhere you GO!"

Well now...here's a good deal! Effective now and running until the 21st of this month, you can get eWallet GO! for a mere 99 cents on Windows Phone 7, Android, and iPhone/iPod Touch devices. On Windows and Mac versions, the software is free. Sweet! Jump here to find the version you need. The OS X version is in the Mac App store, and the Windows version requires registration for the free download. On iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7, you'll find it in their respective app stores.


Friday, July 22, 2011

Contacts in Your Phonebook Come Alive: Application Announcement – LiveContacts – for iOS, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian OS

Posted by Darren Blade in "Windows Phone Software" @ 10:07 AM

http://www.facebook.com/pages/LiveC...225523594142852

"Appfortel, the Russian developer of mobile applications is proud to announce the release of a unique Beta-version service for organizing your contacts – LiveContacts – in mid-summer 2011. The LiveContacts application will contain a number of functions aimed at livening up your address directories and supporting the contacts in your phonebook in an actual and “animated” way. Today, from hundreds to thousands of contacts are stored in phonebooks of large megacities’ representatives. Many of them quickly become outdated – time has an impact on all kinds of information. Changes can be observed in surnames, workplaces, addresses, jobs and positions, telephone numbers, and other contact data."

A new way in presenting your contacts (Livening them up!) is on its way to you from "Appfortel" LLC, a Russian start-up who wants to breathe life into the staid contact apps on a number of handset platforms, namely Windows Mobile, Android, iOS & Symbian. I contacted Denis Pushkar to confirm whether their Press Release was correct with Windows Mobile, and it is. It looks like the Appfortel code warriors are giving some love back to the Windows Mobile device users; Windows Phone 7, at this point, is not getting the App. The service and respective platform apps are due to start appearing around the end of July.

I still have my Omnia II hiding in the paper tray on my desk. I may just, get a chance, to Liven it up with LiveContacts when released. The scant details hint that a web service is used, and pulling contact details like contact linking on WP7. More details when Appfortel's website goes "Live" soon, here and here.

The remainder of the press release is after the break. Read more...


Saturday, April 30, 2011

Microsoft Provides iOS to WP7 API

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 AM

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...plications.aspx

Although the Windows Phone Marketplace recently hit 15,000 apps, it is still dwarfed by the Apple and Google offerings. The bottom line is that to continue to grow, Microsoft will need to attract some of the developers from rival platforms. In that vein, Microsoft has created a white paper and new API that helps developers quickly port their apps from the iPhone to Windows Phone. The API functions as a translation dictionary, so that developers can look up equivalent classes, methods and notification events in WP7. Although the API will initially be limited to those classes and methods that have a WP7 equivalent, Microsoft is seeking suggestions from developers on how the API could be extended at http://wp7mapping.uservoice.com. If you are an iPhone developer and looking for a quick and easy way to develop for Windows Phone please leave your comments on the new API below once you have a look.


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Looking for a Good Rant on Windows Phone 7? Here's One...Maybe?

Posted by Steven McPherson in "Windows Phone News" @ 11:30 AM

http://www.ithinkdiff.com/hey-micro...indows-phone-7/

"I love trying out new operating systems and gadgets. That's why I blog on technology. So despite any doubts I had on Microsoft's latest effort in the mobile arena, despite their history with Windows Mobile 6.5 (could have been way better than what it was) and KIN (duh!), I decided to give Windows Phone 7 a try."

If you are looking for a good rant on Windows Phone 7 you might want to check this out. I went through each one of the rants in this article and while I find most of them accurate I also find that most of the comments are more related to this being a generation one OS than anything else. In fairness, he points this out but I think by and large this is a great list of things that Microsoft could improve on.

Tops for me out of this article are:

  • Stop the Scrolling Madness: The author has a lot of apps as do I and unfortunately I end up scrolling A LOT! I realize this is more due to the clean simple UI of Windows Phone 7 and there is definitely a trade-off as soon as you start adding folders or drop down list or whatever. I am not a UI genius, but I would love to see this improved.
  • Camera Settings Don't Save: This one was always a "Really?" to me. I don't get it. I don't think there is a good reason for the camera settings to not save.
  • Dead Marketplace, Music and Video: I know this one is being worked on in "No-Do" but man that's aggravating and needs to be fixed.

Read more...


Friday, April 1, 2011

APRIL FOOL'S DAY: Zune iOS App Spotted

Posted by Richard Chao in "Windows Phone Software" @ 05:00 AM

One of my favorite pastime is combing through Flickr and Photobucket looking for interesting pictures. Every once in a while you come across a gem. These two for instance were pretty interesting finds... (Hint, lower left corner).

We all knew this was inevitable. iTunes runs on Windows so why shouldn't Zune run on iOS? Besides, it's not like there aren't other iOS app developed by Microsoft. In fact, this is the seventh iOS app by Microsoft. The others are: Bing, OneNote, Live Messenger, Tag Reader, WonderWall and Sea Dragon.

One more picture after the break. Read more...


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

IDC Predicts Windows Phone Will Be Number Two Smartphone OS by 2015

Posted by Danny Simmons in "Windows Phone News" @ 07:00 PM

http://www.slashgear.com/windows-ph...s-idc-29143143/

"Android will take the top spot for smartphone OS worldwide in 2011, analysts IDC have predicted, pushing iOS into third place behind Symbian. As for Microsoft, while the Symbian-faithful aren't entirely convinced by Nokia's decision to climb aboard the Windows Phone train, IDC is more confident in the two companies' partnership. "By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be number 2 operating system worldwide behind Android," senior research analyst Ramon Llamas predicts."

This is a pretty bold prediction. It has been the topic of much debate since this article was released. With Symbian phasing out of the picture as Nokia embraces Windows Phone as their OS of choice, there's bound to be a new number two. Will all Symbian users shift over to Windows Phone to stay with Nokia? Will some of them move to Android or iOS? I personally think we'll see a good mix of users jumping from one platform to another over the next few years until they find the one that suits them best. Each OS provides unique experiences that may appeal to some, but not to others. It will definitely be an interesting few years, especially once Nokia starts flooding the market with Windows Phone. What do you think will happen?


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Not so Kind Word for Microsoft from Motorola and Verizon

Posted by Steven McPherson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2199...ws_Phone_7.html

Its always an interesting proposition when your sometimes alliance partners in Motorola and Verizon indicate that your latest and greatest isn't so great. Microsoft found themselves in that very position today when Motorola and Verizon both seemed to insinuate that the Windows Phone 7 OS has failed or at least wasn't living up to expectations in interviews with CNET at Mobile World Congress today.

"I do want a strong third OS out there. It gives the carriers more flexibility and balances the interests of all the parties. But I still have doubts whether Microsoft will get the traction they are hoping for with Windows Phone 7."

Tony Melone, CTO at Verizon Communications indicated as such today. Mr, Melone went onto to state:

"I don't think Verizon needs the Nokia and Microsoft relationship. Right now the three OS players we see for our network are Android, Apple, and RIM"

Chris Wyatt, Corporate Vice President of Software and Services Product Management chimed in with comments from the same show:

"We would like an opportunity to create unique value and we don't feel we could with a closed platform"

Certainly over the years, Microsoft has established great relationship with both Verizon and Motorola, but the statements from Verizon and Motorola today seem to indicate that Microsoft has made their beds with these two partners, however, I think there could be another side to this story. Read more...


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Use 'Em and Leave 'Em: 26% of App Uses are One Night Stands

Posted by Jon Westfall in "Android News" @ 04:00 AM

http://www.localytics.com/blog/post...used-just-once/

"The resulting analysis shows that for customers using an app for the first time between January and March, about 22% of them never open the app again. In the second and third quarters, the rate of one-time usage is flat at 26%. One-time usage grows to over 28% in the fourth quarter, but some of those customers may still use the app again in early 2011."

Admit it - you've used an app once and then never bothered to click again. We all do it, although it's interesting to see the data presented here. I suspect we aren't seeing significant differences between those rates above, and I also wonder how much of this depends on app segment. One thing is for certain, it's a lot nicer to have app stores now that let us try before we buy and give us comments and ratings. I recall my early WinMo days of "that looks cool, buy it". I probably spent around $100 (over 3 years) on apps I never used more than 3 times.


Monday, January 31, 2011

Windows Phone 7 Theme on an iPhone: Clever!

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 01:54 PM

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2011/01...cause-they-can/

Feeling a bit bored with your iPhone? Looking longingly at the interface of Windows Phone 7, wishing you could get a piece of that? Well now you can - if you're willing to jailbreak your iPhone and install this theme. Clever developers can do some impressive stuff, can't they?


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Should Your Next Mobile OS Cost You Money?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Articles & Resources" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/...pdate-cost-you/

"All too often, the question isn't whether a particular device is great, it's whether the manufacturer and carrier have committed to upgrading it -- quite often to a version of its operating system that hasn't officially been announced. It's a recipe for confusion and paralysis among consumers that really don't have a great reason to be putting off their purchases -- they just want a reasonable assurance that their new phones aren't going to be regarded as "obsolete" in six or nine months. And why shouldn't they?"

A really thought-provoking piece from Engadget's Chris Ziegler - he proposes that, since smartphone hardware has largely plateaued in terms of baseline features, it's time to for software to take on a larger role in the ecosystem. Part of that is for companies to charge for new versions of an operating system. Myself, I'd have no problem at all with this - assuming, and that's the key word here, that operating system updates were delivered in a reliable manner that would work a variety of hardware...and would be unencumbered by mobile operator bloatware. We pay for new operating systems on our desktops and laptops, so why not on our phones? Vote in the poll that Engadget has set up - and sound off here on why you would, or would not, be willing to pay for a new OS for your phone.


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