Microsoft, Windows Phone 7 | featured news

Nokia and Microsoft joined forces to make the Lumia 900, a top-of-the-line device. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that people will flock to it.

As AT&T gets ready to launch a new wave of Windows Phones to the pubic, independent analysis of Microsoft's app store reveals more than 80,000 applications have been submitted.

Nokia is getting back into the U.S. smartphone business with an entry-level model powered by Microsoft's latest Windows software and sold by T-Mobile USA. The Lumia 710, one of two models that Nokia has launched in Europe, is slated to go on sale Jan. 11 for $50 after a rebate and a two-year contract. The Lumia 710 retails for €270 ($351) in Europe.

The Windows Phone Marketplace continues to grow at a steady rate. In little over a year, the Marketplace now has over 40,000 published apps according to an estimate from All About Windows Phone. This number is not the total available to consumers, but the total number that has been submitted to the online store. An estimated 5,500 apps are no longer available to consumers because they were removed by Microsoft or the developer.

Here's the thing about 1.5 million Microsoft Windows Phone 7 phones sold in six weeks - it doesn't mean 1.5 million people have bought Microsoft phones... Now that we know there are 1.5 million Windows 7 phones on the shelves there can be one or two possibilities. One, consumers could buy them. Or two, they pile up as inventory in warehouses. Judging by the sputtering start, the later scenario seems likely.

The first three US phones running Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS go on sale today, with the Samsung Focus (4 stars) and HTC Surround (3 stars) debuting on AT&T and the HTC HD7 (3.5 stars) becoming available on T-Mobile. All three phones cost $199 with ...

AT&T demonstrated its support of Windows Phone 7 (WP7) at the software’s official launch on Oct. 11. The carrier will introduce four different WP7 phones before the end of the year, making it Microsoft’s chief launch partner in the U.S.

MS insists WP7 to have thousands of apps on launch on October 21, despite only having 80 ready now.