Windows Mobile

Microsoft wanted to take some extra time to release the latest Windows Phone 7 update to iron out problems of a February update that rendered some Samsung phones temporarily unusable. Problems solved, mostly, Microsoft says. The update has begun to trickle out, first to phones in Europe that don't have mobile carrier brands.

The new update was supposed to be unleashed to the masses in the first two weeks of March. But a series of glitches with software updates in February led Microsoft to revise the schedule. Back then, Microsoft pushed software out to the phones to prepare them … Read more

Geeks, pay attention here. Those of you who feel like your dudeliness, your man-mojo, your virility isn't up to snuff, Microsoft wants to help. The software giant launched a new app for its Windows Phone 7 called Onit, described as a "guy's guide to girls, cars, gadgets, fitness, and life advice--plus a touch of humor." Because, after all, who better to turn to for advice for help with "the ladies" than Microsoft.

The free app promises to curate men's lifestyle content from magazines and Web sites. Onit, as in "Bro, we are … Read more

Citing hiccups following the rollout of last month's Windows Phone 7 software update, Microsoft is pushing back the release date of the update that will bring Windows Phone users new features.

"I believe it's important that we learn all we can from the February update," wrote Eric Hautala, Microsoft's general manager of Customer Experience Engineering, in a post on the Windows Phone blog. "So I've decided to take some extra time to ensure the update process meets our standards, your standards, and the standards of our partners. As a result, our plan is … Read more

PopCap Games doesn't usually race to be among the first to develop for a new platform of any sort, be it a console or a mobile operating system. But the company is breaking from its tradition and working hard on porting its popular Plants vs. Zombies game to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform.

"With Microsoft and Windows Phone 7 we saw a strategic opportunity," said Garth Chouteau, vice president of public relations for PopCap.

Before you scoff, don't think the developers at Popcap have blown a gasket. Chouteau said that even though there isn't … Read more

Microsoft announced this morning a handful of tweaks and changes to its Windows Phone Marketplace, many of which promise to make it easier for developers to publish in the now five-month-old digital storefront. The company also provided a look into the purchasing behavior of users, saying that nearly 1 in 10 downloads of a trial for an app or a game results in a sale.

One of the biggest changes centers around application distribution and publishing. Microsoft announced plans to launch a new Global Publisher Program, aimed at helping developers get their games in more markets.

"This program will … Read more

Microsoft says it's fixed an issue with the Windows Phone 7 system software update that had caused some users headaches, and left others with unusable phones.

The problem first cropped up shortly after Microsoft began rolling out a phone software upgrade to ease the installation of an update it plans to release to users in the next few weeks that will add new features like copy and paste, better Marketplace search, and faster application load times. For users on Samsung phones, the installation could hang shortly after the midway point, leading Microsoft to temporarily pull the update for just … Read more

Microsoft plans to demonstrate tablets running Windows 8 by the end of June, a company source has told Business Insider.

The source told Business Insider that Microsoft is taking a more "Apple-like" approach in designing the new operating system for tablets and plans to adopt certain ideas from the Metro interface created for Windows Phone 7. If true, the June date for demonstrating the new OS on a tablet is significant as that month marks the end of Microsoft's fiscal year.

Yesterday's report follows a story by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, who was sent a … Read more

Windows Phones could be arriving on Verizon's network as soon as next month.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, blog WinRumors is reporting that Verizon could have its first Windows Phone 7 devices available to customers on March 20 and plans to announce the launch date for an HTC-made device early next week.

The report follows on the heels of yesterday's news that Sprint would be bringing the HTC Arrive, its first Windows Phone 7 handset, to consumers on the same day. That handset will ship with Microsoft's first major update to its mobile operating system preinstalled. … Read more

Rovio's hit game Angry Birds is landing on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform in "late spring," along with five other titles beginning on a weekly basis.

Microsoft announced the title's inclusion as part of its Spring Showcase event, taking place today in San Francisco.

CNET readers might remember the small kerfuffle that took place prior to the launch of Windows Phone 7, with Microsoft placing an icon of Angry Birds in its online Windows Phone marketing materials. Rovio quickly responded saying it had not committed to doing a version for the platform, and that Microsoft … Read more