Windows Phone

Elop says Surface Windows Phone could help 'ecosystem'

A Surface phone might be a good idea after all, Nokia's CEO said today.

Stephen Elop, speaking during an investor call, said that a Windows Phone from Microsoft would be a "stimulant to the ecosystem," according to The Verge.

"We're encouraging of HTC and Samsung and Microsoft or whomever to have devices in the market and to be making whatever investments that helps spur the ecosystem on," Elop said, according to the report.

Rumors have been circulating for months that Microsoft was going to make its own Windows Phones and possibly market them under … Read more

iPhone users driving nearly half of smartphone Web traffic

iPhone owners really are driving a lot of Web traffic.

Online advertising network Chitika determined that nearly half of all Web traffic via smartphones is generated by the various versions of the iPhone. The iPhone 5 alone creates 3 percent of the total smartphone usage, while older versions of the device make about 43 percent.

By comparison, Samsung devices make up 17 percent of traffic, with the Korean handset maker's flagship phone, the Galaxy S3, generating 2 percent of total smartphone Web usage.

Chitika earlier this month determined that the iPhone 5 was already generating more Web traffic volume than the Samsung Galaxy S3. … Read more

Windows Phone 8 pre-orders said to start October 21

Although Windows Phone 8 handsets aren't expected to launch until October 29, rumor has it that several will be ready for pre-order from AT&T as early as October 21, according to The Verge.

Inside sources have revealed to The Verge that the carrier will begin taking pre-orders on the HTC 8X, Nokia's Lumia 920, Samsung's Ativ Smart PC, and the Asus Vivo Tab RT.

AT&T is slated to sell both Nokia's Lumia 920 and 820 Windows Phone devices, which are the latest in the carrier's lineup of mobile devices. The Lumia … Read more

Nokia Lumia 810 brings Windows Phone 8 to T-Mobile

T-Mobile added another Windows Phone 8 handset today by announcing the Nokia Lumia 810. A variant of the previously announced Lumia 820 that's optimized for T-Mobile's network, the Lumia 810 will be available "in the coming weeks."

The Lumia 810 will deliver a 4.3-inch display, interchangeable covers in cyan and black, an 8-megaixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing shooter, Nokia Music and Nokia Maps, and support for T-Mobile's HSPA+ data network. The carrier did not announce pricing, but like the earlier Lumia 710, it should come in at under $100 … Read more

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop: We'll spend to break through (Q&A)

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop knows that the U.S. is a clutch market for Nokia's revival, and competition is only getting hotter.

With the Nokia Lumia 920 coming to AT&T -- and apparently only AT&T -- Nokia will have to work even harder to battle Android and the iPhone on multiple carriers apiece, while also fending off HTC, whose lookalike HTC Windows Phone 8X will also flood the market on three providers.

Earlier this week, I sat down with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop in San Francisco to dive into Nokia's strategy for breaking through.… Read more

Windows tablets from Samsung, Asus head to AT&T

AT&T said today it would sell two Windows tablets, Samsung's ATIV Smart PC and Asus's VivoTab RT.

The tablets are just the latest mobile devices to be unveiled by AT&T in the last few days. Both 4G LTE products, which run on the next-generation Windows operating system, will be available for the holiday season, although the company didn't specify when or at what price.

While the iPad has been a runaway success, few other tablets, particularly ones connected to a cellular network, have been successful. AT&T is hoping for a change … Read more

Windows Phone 8 officially launches in SF on October 29

Mark your calendars for Microsoft's official launch of the Windows Phone 8 smartphone OS. We have.

CNET will be there, fingers flexed and laptops raring to go, to cover the San Francisco launch of Microsoft's latest and most important chance yet to put Windows Phone on the map.

We'll update with more details as we have them. Until then, get ready.

Windows 8 Nook app 'imminent'

Microsoft and Barnes & Noble today said they've officially formed their new partnership focused on digital reading and will soon be releasing a Nook app for Windows 8.

The two companies, who initially announced their pact in April, said their new company -- a B&N subsidiary -- will be called Nook Media LLC. They also reiterated that there's no timetable for B&N to review options for the business, including possibly spinning it out as a standalone company.

"As demand for digital content continues to increase, we are focused on bringing ground-breaking reading and … Read more

How Nokia hobbled itself with an AT&T-exclusive Lumia 920

Nokia just shut its coolest phone out of more than half the U.S. market.

The Finnish handset manufacturer's decision to strike an exclusivity agreement with AT&T for its flagship Lumia 920 means much of its hopes of breaking into the U.S. market rides on just the one carrier, which isn't the smartest decision when said carrier has a huge wave of other smartphones coming out this holiday.

While exclusivity deals were in vogue a few years ago, they've grown increasingly passé as heavy hitters such as Apple and Samsung Electronics have opted … Read more

Phew! New smartphones less toxic than older models

Your smartphone may be sleek and shiny on the outside, but on the inside, it could be harboring some environmental troublemakers.

But there's some good news: today's smartphones are likely to contain less of that bad stuff.

iFixit, in partnership with HealthyStuff.org, has released the results of a study that conducted a chemical analysis of handsets to see just how packed with toxic ickiness your favorite gadget might be.

The components found in modern-day devices, from desktop PCs and displays to mobile phones and other gadgets, contain a number of chemicals and elements -- needed for electronics … Read more