Mobility Digest » Rumors

Skype for Windows Phone launch at MWC?

Doug Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:24:46 +0000

One of the must have apps for Microsoft to get for Windows Phone must be Skype. Heck, it only makes sense since you own them to go ahead and slap it on your own mobile platform right? Well, to date as you all know we haven’t seen it yet, either integrated into the OS as hoped, or as stand alone app. Even though Joe Belfiore has stated that we would see Skype in late 2011, it still has gone missing. According to The Verge, it looks like they have sources that have indicated that Microsoft is in final testing and have even been downloading a test version from Marketplace. Meaning a stand alone version will come first. Sources also indicate that we will see the app version of Skype launch at the Mobile World Congress. The new Skype app will have the Metro UI format and have a two column grid to display contacts. Even though I have gotten quite fond of Metro, some apps I would better prefer left alone like Slacker. I really like the iPhone UI better than the Metro layout on the Titan. We will have to wait and see how the UI works using Metro for the new Skype app. Stay tuned for more on Skype’s eminent release for Windows Phone at MWC.

Windows Phone 8 Details Leak!

David K — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:19:26 +0000

Holy crap. What a score! PocketNow got their hands on a video intended for Nokia partners where Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore talks about Windows phone 8. Let’s just break it down for you:

Multicore processors are supported

4 screen resolutions will be supported

removable SD cards

NFC support and a “wallet experience’” so Microsoft is coming into the payment game

tap to share across platforms and products

Windows Phone 8 will share core components and the same kernel as Windows 8 ensuring app compatability

Zune syncing gets scrapped and something closer to ActiveStink comes back

Remote desktop capabilities in Windows 8 (like Xbox Companion App)

SkyDrive will sync data across phone and PC

Native code support

Apps will be able to communicate to each other

OEMs get greater customization, specifically the camera can now be customized for smile detection and the like

“DataSmart” will help monitor data usage

Automatic WiFi switching based on location

Proxy based interest so like the browser on the Kindle Fire or SkyFire MS’s servers do the heavy lifting

Corporations can deploy their apps selectively to keep them private

full PC level encryption

considering this is all top level stuff, it’s awesome. Add this to Tango and the small tweaks we can expect and there’s a lot in their pipeline so Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are going to have a huge launch this year.

Nokia In Talks To Cut Its Work Force By 1/4

David K — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:47:16 +0000

Windows Phones may ultimately save them but not today…like literally today. They’re still selling lower tier phones pretty well and Windows Phone sales have begun to sell but not at the level that it would be rational for them to keep the same staff as though it were. So Reuters is reporting that they are in talks to lay off 4,000 workers. Presumably, once they get their groove back in another 18 months they’ll go on a rehiring spree but it would be poor business practice to carry that much extra labor for that much time.

HTC Ville shows off Sense 4.0 running Ice Cream Sandwich

Doug Smith — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:30:08 +0000

As we prepare for MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona ,Spain Feb 27th through Mar 1st, we are already bracing ourselves for the leaked devices to be shown off for the first (cough) time. Such is the case with the new HTC 1.5GHz dual core processor device now called the “Ville”. Some leaked video is showing off it’s it’s very slim form factor as well as 4.3” qHD screen. Especially of interest is Sense 4.0 running on an Android Ice Cream Sandwich build of 4.0.1. Sense look great and I especially miss the Windows Mobile days of having this user interface. Watch the video and check out how thin the Ville is. At 8mm thick, this thing is seriously smelt. HTC didn’t move too far from center in the design as this looks an awful lot like their current work, especially that of the Titan. 8mp Rear shooter, VGA front, 1GB of RAM, BT 4.0 and HTC has built some serious specs into this device. Hopefully it is the same 8mp camera out of the current Titan Windows Phone. Very nice indeed!

[source: HTC-Hub]

Foxconn employee leaks iPhone 5 will have 4 inch screen

Doug Smith — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:56:05 +0000

Loving these rumors coming out! It’s now getting more and more believable that Apple will make another iPhone. Just kidding, of course we all know there will be another iPhone but what I am waiting for is what screen size the next flagship Apple iPhone will have. There has been a lot of speculation that the next iPhone will have a new design and a 4 inch screen size. Matter of fact, just 5 days ago an Analyst confirmed that he had information accurate enough to pass on to his investors that there would be a larger screen in the iPhone 5. However, no sources were cited.

Today, we have a Foxconn, the makers of the iPhone, employee leak that states that there are several sample devices floating around Foxconn, but that all of them had a larger 4 inch screen. One of them in fact had an LG screen on it. Also stating that the iPhone 5, as they seem to be calling it around Foxconn, would not have a teardrop shape but would be symmetrical in thickness and be wider and longer. The leak also said that none of these were final production. (that’s kind of a buzz killer)

Some other good news from the leak is that it looks like Apple is gearing up for production which could mean a summer time release and back on the Apple summer release schedule. The source for this leak was also responsible for leaking that the iPhone 5 was not happening last year and that an iPhone 4S would be launched. True dat. So whether or not you believe any of these rumors or not, the continued reporting and media pressure will have to at some point register with Apple and perhaps help them to decide to build a bigger screened device.

[source: Cult of Mac]

Lumia 900 March 18 for $100 From AT&T–I’m Getting 2

David K — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:07:13 +0000

BGR just got a hold of AT&T’s roadmap and note:

According to our source, the Nokia Lumia 900 is set to launch on March 18th, which has been rumored before. The phone hasn’t yet received technical acceptance however, so that date could change. The bigger news is the phone’s price: AT&T and Nokia are planning to launch this flagship smartphone at just $99.99 on a two-year contract.

I can hold off until March 18 (and that’s the same day we heard from Paul Thurrott) and at that price my house will have two of them but unlike the Focus hopefully we can get different colors so I stop confusing my phone with my wife’s.

Any of you as excited as me? If they start advertising the hell out of this thing and have it at a $100 price point they’ll sell a lot of these.

More Speculation the next iPhone will have a Larger Display

Doug Smith — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:33:43 +0000

With the release of an untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 released today for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, why not start the rumor wheels-a-turning with some more speculation from an Analyst from Susquehanna Financial, Chris Caso. The real shocker is that Chris does not let slide how he came by this information, but he claims that the next iPhone flagship, the iPhone 5 will have a larger screen either a 3.7 or 4 inch to be exact. There has been no real proof and plenty of Nay Sayers that it would be tough to get a 4 inch screen in the current styling of the iPhone. We also have been hearing that the iPhone will get a make over this next time around to more resemble the iPad 2. Throw in that the beloved single button on the iPhone may also be nixed to make room. There have been studies indicating that screen size is not all that it’s cracked up to be, and where I agree that Apple’s simplicity rules methodology is pretty swift, the iPhone with it’s awesome camera and multimedia capabilities would only be enhanced by a larger screen. Keeping with the same confines of the current day iPhone specs, it would be impossible to get to now standard 4.3 inch screen we see on many Android devices and some others that have 4.7 inch screens like the HTC Inspire, Samsung Galaxy S II Rocket, and even the Windows Phone HTC Titan. But an edge to edge screen and losing the single button would make plenty of room for a 4 inch screen. So can we expect a: “3.7 to 4.0 inches Quantum Dot LED curved glass edge-to-edge display with features like scratch-resistant glass, aluminum plate casing, oleophobic coating, accelerometer, gyro and proximity sensor?” It seems like a sure bet that we can at least look for a design change and 3.7 inch screen with the single return button being left in tact, at least for now.

[IBTIMES via Cult of Mac]

Eldar Murtazin Sparks New MS-Nokia Merger Talk

David K — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:27 +0000

File this firmly under rumor as he’s an insider with a mixed track record quick frankly. Why report at all? He has been right at times, has had devices he shouldn’t have had at times and everyone else is going to report it as well. We’ll just do it with a grain of salt. Without further intro:

The last Tweet makes it clear that this is all fact and not speculation, huh? Shout out – you guys think this is just the rants of a person who has a microphone or think there’s some credibility here?

Blogosphere Corrected: WP7 Marketing To Exceed $200m in 2012 US Only; Nokia $2:$1

David K — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:52:54 +0000

Thurott has done it again. Tired of inaccurate reporting that’s been going around he’s revealed details of Microsoft memorandums that he’s viewed and it’s a different picture than what’s been painted. Here’s the juicy stuff:

Microsoft and Nokia will not spend "in the neighborhood of $100 million" to market Windows Phone this year. The companies are spending much more than that.

And that’s just in the United States. In this most crucial of markets, Microsoft has one goal and one goal only: Convince consumers to purchase millions of Windows Phone handsets in the first half of 2012. Doing so will require a new set of phones–as I exclusively detailed previously in Microsoft’s LTE Plans for Windows Phone–as well as stepping up engagement with tech enthusiasts, increasing retail worker recommendation rates through training ands sale incentives, and other means.

But most of all, it’s going to require a lot of money.

Nokia is helping, but so are other Windows Phone hardware partners like Samsung. (As you may recall, Nokia previously stated that it would spent more marketing Windows Phone in the coming year than it had on any previous initiative.) According to the internal Microsoft documentation I’ve viewed, the total cost of this marketing tsunami is in the neighborhood of $200 million, not $100 million. And again, that’s just for the US. And on AT&T at least, Nokia is outspending Microsoft 2-to-1.

Included in the plan are sales incentives for retail workers aimed at getting them to finally start recommending Windows Phone as an alternative to Android and the iPhone. The amount of payments are $10 to $15 per handset sold, depending on the number sold, for some handset models.

Yes it’s a lot of money and that’s just in the US but more importantly is the sales incentives. Allt he ads won’t overcome the fact that the guy selling you the phone gets a few extra bucks to push iPhone and slam WP7 so this will level the playing field. I have a feeling there’s a lot more news coming at CES and more new devices that are waiting to be revealed.

Thurrott Reveals Microsoft’s Windows Phone LTE Plans–AT&T The Winner But VZ Gets Nokia 710 In April

David K — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:05:54 +0000

There’s a lot of noise today about upcoming LTE Windows Phones and Paul Thurrott is now sharing some new information.

And as you might expect, Microsoft and its Windows Phone partners do indeed intend to release a number of LTE devices in the coming half-year, all on AT&T.

The information I have relates to the US market only. These plans will be officially revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month.

Three LTE-based Windows Phone handsets–the Nokia ACE, HTC Radiant, and Samsung Mendel–will ship on AT&T Wireless before the middle of 2012. The ACE is due March 18, 2012.

What’s unclear is whether these LTE based devices will be accompanied by a software update of some kind. You may recall that the rumored "Tango" release, supposedly due in early 2012, is about low-end phones. So it’s unclear how that jives with LTE, which is obviously a high-end feature. This explains my confusion over the supposed Windows Phone roadmap leak yesterday.

Also, the Nokia Lumia 710 will ship on Verizon Wireless in April 2012. This is not an LTE device, and it’s not clear when/if we’ll see one on Verizon. The Lumia 710 is codenamed "Sword" and will be available in April 2012. (The T-Mobile version of the Lumia 710 will be available for purchase on January 11, 2012, giving the company three months of exclusivity before the device hits Verizon.)

Interesting…exciting but I still have to say, if Microsoft’s plan continues to rely on AT&T only then nothing will change. They need to hit all carriers with new devices at the same time to have a marketing push. A device here and there and some low end and some high end simply won’t do it. Can’t get excited for a platform if your carrier isn’t selling any (or if they’re 18 month old devices). Hopefully this is the start and there’s more that we don’t know yet and I hope it includes a high end Nokia that hits across all US carriers with a real marketing blitz (think of the attention the original Droid ads had).