Mobile operating systems - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Mac App Store 'disruptive' say experts

  Apple's decision to open an App Store for the Mac will disrupt the traditional software distribution channel, experts said today, but questions remain unanswered, ranging from pricing to lockouts.

• Apple drops price of MacBook Air under $1,000

  Apple today revamped its lightest laptop, the MacBook Air, slimming it down, ditching the hard drive for solid-state storage and introducing a smaller model that sports an 11.6-in. screen.

• Windows Phone 7: Some will win, some will lose

  Microsoft has owned the tech conversation this week after its announcement of Windows Phone 7 -- a complete mobile rebirth for Microsoft with technology that looks nothing like the previous version of Windows Mobile.

• Windows Phone 7 could rival Apple's iOS 4

  With all the features of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 now out in the open -- along with details about the handsets available on AT&T and T-Mobile here in the U.S. -- comparing the new mobile platform to Apple's iOS 4 is a natural. The long-running debate about Windows vs. Mac can now move into the world of mobile operating systems.

• HTC CEO talks on business behind new Windows Phone 7 OS

  Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC joined a number of rivals in launching new handsets with Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 OS on Monday, a feat HTC's CEO says came together very fast.

• Windows Phone 7: Three lessons Apple doesn't need to learn

  Microsoft needed to take risks and make a mobile splash in order to remake its image as a technology leader, but instead displayed ineptness in the unveiling of Windows Phone 7 (WP7) today.

• Samsung reveals first Windows Phone 7 handset, Omnia 7

  Samsung Electronics became the second mobile phone maker after rival LG Electronics to leak a new Windows Phone 7 smartphone, the Omia 7, model GT-I8700.

• Fandango app for WP7 easy to build, developer says

  NEW YORK CITY -- Some third-party developers have been unhappy with Microsoft for complicating the ways they can port apps from Windows Mobile to the new Windows Phone 7 (WP7).

• HTC goes in big with five Windows Phone 7 handsets

  Two years ago, HTC delivered the first smartphone to use Google's Android mobile phone software, the G1. On Monday, the Taiwanese company unveiled five smartphones with Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 operating system and these phones will be available in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific by late October.

• Hands on with HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7 handset

  Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC will soon launch the HTC HD7, a handset with a 4.3-inch touchscreen that uses Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 operating system (OS).

• Microsoft announces Windows Phone 7 launch partners

  Microsoft announced the Windows Phone 7 OS for handheld devices on Monday, taking a step forward in the company's efforts to strengthen its position in the still-growing smartphone market. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the first phones to run the OS, and named the network operators that will distribute them.

• Firefox 4 for Android arrives in beta version

  Mozilla has released the first beta versions of Firefox 4 for mobile phones. Versions are available for download for Android-based smartphones and for the Nokia N900, Mozilla said in blog post on Thursday.

• Developers will wait and see about Windows Phone 7

  Some wireless application developers are hesitant about next week's launch of Windows Phone 7 devices, preferring to wait and see how the phones sell before investing big in the platform.

• Mobile OSes will drive changes at enterprises

  Mobile operating systems will be key to changing the way enterprises work, AT&T's chief of mobility said on Wednesday.

• Cricket launching no-contract $149 Android phone

  Cricket, a U.S. mobile operator that uses pay-in-advance monthly plans, will sell the Android-based Ascend smartphone for $US149 without a contract when it hits stores in the next two weeks.