Smartphone lull a golden opportunity for Microsoft
Critics have derided Microsoft's $US7.5 billion acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services business but the deal may be closing at the perfect moment -- during a slowdown in smartphone innovation.
Critics have derided Microsoft's $US7.5 billion acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services business but the deal may be closing at the perfect moment -- during a slowdown in smartphone innovation.
Microsoft today said that it will close the $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia's handset business on Friday, about eight months after revealing the deal.
Nokia is giving developers the tools to write Windows Phone apps that lets users do more with their photos, like combine shots taken with the front and back cameras.
Microsoft's App Studio beta test has been expanded to allow novice developers to build applications for Windows tablets and PCs, in addition to Windows Phone.
Game developers can prepare to create apps for Windows Phone 8.1 with a beta program from Unity Technologies.
The options are increasing for people who want an LTE smartphone, but don't want to spend a fortune or sign an expensive contract. Two new alternatives that won't drain wallets are Nokia's Lumia 635 and the Huawei-made Kestrel.
Nokia announced three new Lumia smartphones on Wednesday that will run the just-announced Windows Phone 8.1 OS, including a Lumia 630 with a dual 3G SIM variant that will cost just $169.
Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8.1 on Wednesday, and confirmed reports that the new OS includes Microsoft's first voice-activated digital assistant, called Cortana.
Nokia's Refocus app -- which lets users play with the focus after a picture has been taken -- is now available for all Lumia smartphones with Windows Phone 8.
Facebook has made its Messenger app available for Windows Phone 8, a bonus for Microsoft as it seeks to increase the number of applications available for its smartphone OS.
IBM-owned Fiberlink and BlackBerry are adding Windows Phone to the list of platforms they can manage and protect, as enterprise interest for the smartphone OS is increasing.
Microsoft has sidestepped commenting on the Nokia's decision to launch a new low-cost smartphone powered by an offshoot of Google's Android.
In a bid to go after the low-end smartphone segment, Nokia is using Android with its own user interface and Microsoft services on the X, X+ and XL devices.
Microsoft will soon offer an update to its Windows Phone operating system that will bring a number of new features targeted at enterprise users.
With developing markets in its sight, Microsoft is making a number of changes to Windows Phone that it hopes will result in a wider range of less expensive devices.