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Topic: Software

Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

Summary: Microsoft's Windows Phone still hasn't gained much market share, but the Marketplace continues to grow at a fast pace. Amazon just launch an Android-based tablet and are they now thinking of getting into the smartphone race too?

Matthew Miller

By for Smartphones and Cell Phones |

I tracked and wrote about the quickly growing Windows Phone Marketplace in my WP Wednesday posts for months and will get back in the groove again soon. The great news is that development continues at a great pace with new hardware hitting the streets as there are now over 40,000 apps to choose from. There is also a rumor that Amazon may launch a WP smartphone in late 2012. Mary Jo also mentioned some updates for existing devices and last night I gained WiFi tethering capability on my first generation HTC HD7.

Windows Phone Marketplace

Microsoft launched the new Windows Phone 7 operating system and devices in October 2010 and at the one year anniversary they had about 35,000 apps. I have every app I need on my Windows Phone devices and am really not missing anything I can think of with most apps looking spectacular with the Metro UI. All About Windows Phone estimates that Microsoft could pass the 50,000 mark in January at the rate that apps are hitting the market right now.

Games are always the hot sellers and look to be the top category for Windows Phone too. There are several plots of the data on the AAWP site so check it out if you are interested in the fine details.

Amazon Smartphone?

Amazon just release their first Android-based tablet with the Kindle Fire and now there are rumors that they may be considering the launch of a smartphone. Accoridng to the rumor on Forbes.com a hardware research analyst made the claim so I am not ready to line up for a phone or anything right now. Looking at the Foxconn Technologies manufacturing channels, it seems this device may have a 4 inch display, 8 megapixel camera, and Windows Phone OS with a TI OMAP4 processor.

It seems that Amazon succeeds in large part due to their ecosystem so I don't really see how they can integrate this into a Windows Phone ecosystem. Right now, Amazon products work well on Android devices where there is no single ecosystem, but then again Microsoft has been fairly open with Windows Phone and allows competing music clients and streaming video services so they may be open to things such as the Amazon MP3 store and more. Do you think there is any merit to this rumor?

Topics: Software, Amazon, Hardware, Microsoft, Mobility, Operating Systems, Smartphones, Telcos, Windows

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  • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

    I don't think there is any merit to it but deep down inside I really want this to be true. An Amazon WP phone has a lot of potential. If they did this then WP could sky rocket in market share.
    LoverockDavidson_-24231404894599612871915491754222
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

      @LoverockDavidson_
      "Microsoft???s Windows Phone still hasn???t gained much market share"

      Ha ha ha failssssss failsssss
      ZombieSteveJobs
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @ZombieSteveJobs

        It took Android about 18 months to start getting real traction, only after the "Droid" marketing started. Nokia is just now starting to release hardware and for the 1st time we are seing some serious marketing (US will follow in early 2012). WP7.5 Mango is getting really good reviews, I expect WP7.5 to start taking off in a similar way as Android did.
        Qbt
        Reply Vote

      • ...It took Android about 18 months to start getting real traction

        @Qbt
        Wrong, it took Linux/Android 18 months to swallow the market:
        "...in just 18 months, Android has come from nowhere to become the mobile OS powering just under half of all smartphones sold in the UK"...
        in the meantime, the OS from the beleagered company from Redmond went in 12 months from 2% to close to 1%, and going down.
        theo_durcan
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @ZombieSteveJobs

        Yes, because market share is the sole measure of the success of a company, that is why Apple is on the brink of dying, more than 25 years and the Mac still can't crack the 10% market share mark....what a failure...
        Doctor Demento
        Reply Vote

      • theo_durcan, what good is Android

        @Ztheo_durcan
        if used on less then optimal ("cheap") handsets, which is what the majority of Android activations are? Are the end users really benefitting from it if the phones are plauged with issues?

        :|
        Tim Cook
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @Qbt I do not know what rock you have been living under, but I have seen a bunch of ads for windows phones. Personally I feel these ads are insulting to the majority of the population, maybe that is why they are not working? The point is Microsoft waited too long, and delivered too little. Instead of accepting that, Microsoft is playing their typical word games. When Barnes and Noble wins in court (see bogus IP claims) the OEMs will start to fie against Microsoft, fir the return of the extortion fees. Also look fir some of the OEMs that were wronged, to drop Windows from their mobile lineups.
        Rick_Kl
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

      @LoverockDavidson_

      Wow!!! Now there are more apps available than Win7 phones!!!!
      linux for me
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

      So, there's two apps for every WP7 phone owner? I'm probably being optimistic.
      dheady@...
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @dheady@...

        Or very, very trollish. Probably the second.
        spacespeed
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @dheady@... optimistic. spaceseed is the troll.
        OracleOfReason
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

    I think an Amazon WP could happen. It just depends on what incentives Microsoft gives them. Plus they could re-purpose all their Android devs back to server stuff and apps, which would make them more money. Though my bet is that any dealings with MS is about being able to create their own app store, like they have on Android.
    Shmythey
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

      @Shmythey If it does, Amazon will gimp it the way they have Android. WP7 will be judged based on the nerfed mazon OS, not the real OS. It will hurt Microsoft more than it helps.
      Socratesfoot
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @Socratesfoot

        All true. I was just saying I could see it as a possibility, though it seems unlikely.
        Shmythey
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

    I'd love an Amazon Windows Phone. They do write software for Windows Phone, so it isn't entirely unthinkable for them to create one, though it would seem more likely to create an Android phone.
    grayknight-22253692004129760887070084760051
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

      @grayknight why not do both since that is doable right?

      And I miss the part were the article says Amazon will be abandoning Android.
      TheFilipinoFlash
      Reply Vote

  • Where Are The Unique Windows Phone Selling Points?

    What is there in the Windows Phone Marketplace that is unique to WP7? It seems to me at best it only offers you the same capabilities you can get on Android anyway, and at worst it offers you less.

    So why should anyone bother switching away from Android to Windows Phone? Seems like a complete waste of time.
    ldo17
    Reply Vote

    • Not to defend the new MS epic failure ....

      @ldo17 REAL support for Office documents and XBox features are unique to WP7.

      But the XBox integration is a dumb useless gimmick (because teens are not the primary market for smartphone) and full support for office documents is only needed by very few (editing a doc on a 4" display is painful). For the rest of the world, an acceptable quality viewer is enough.
      wackoae
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @wackoae actually the target market is 13 year old girls that live on Facebook, and twitter. Microsoft is just trying to play the we have more bullet points, so we must be cool game.
        Rick_Kl
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Windows Phone: Marketplace passes 40,000 and Amazon may join smartphone race

        @rick_KI
        I think they are trying to position the phone to appeal across all segments. If you don't like Xbox and don't play games at all, then don't use it. If you don't like Linkedin and Office on the phone, don't use it. Pretty simple concept, offer it up and use what you want. Pretty sure its not about bullet points, but hey if it makes you happy to think that, have fun!
        OhTheHumanity
        Reply Vote
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