Nicholas Kolakowski

Microsoft made some substantial bets in 2010. In addition to pouring millions of dollars into the development and marketing of its Windows Phone 7, the reboot of its smartphone franchise, the company invested in somewhat riskier endeavors. One of those endeavors was Kinect, a hands-free controller for the Xbox. Intended to appeal to the same […]

Microsoft’s 2010 was one of transitions-and make-or-break decisions. Although Windows 7’s strong sales indicate the company still has a lock on the traditional desktop-bound software market, the tech industry as a whole has shifted its interest and efforts increasingly toward mobile devices and the cloud. To its credit, Microsoft seems to have recognized that transition, […]

Windows Phone 7, Kinect, Cloud Defined Microsoft’s 2010 by Nicholas Kolakowski Entering the Tablet Game Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer used his Jan. 6 keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show to show off three tablet PCs powered by Microsoft software, including one built by Hewlett-Packard. However, a Windows-powered HP tablet wouldnt enter the market until […]

Microsoft finally offered some hard sales numbers for Windows Phone 7 this week, suggesting that mobile operators and retailers had purchased some 1.5 million devices from manufacturers. “Our numbers are similar to the performance of other first-generation mobile platforms,” Achim Berg, Microsoft’s vice president of business and marketing for Windows Phones, mentioned in a Q&A […]

Microsoft is planning to use January’s Consumer Electronics Show to debut a version of Windows that leverages ARM Holdings technology, according to a new report from Bloomberg. ARM’s chip designs currently hold a sizable portion of the mobile-device market, especially smartphones. That Dec. 21 report, which cited two unnamed people “familiar with Microsoft’s plans,” suggested […]

Amazon.com could sell more than 8 million Kindle e-readers in 2010, according to a new report from Bloomberg. That would outpace earlier estimates that placed device sales in the 5-million range. Amazon has traditionally been reluctant to share sales figures for the device, which it touts as one of the bestselling items on its Website. […]

Microsoft is claiming sales of 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 smartphones in the platform’s first six weeks of release, reversing the company’s previous reluctance to discuss anything numbers-related. However, the number of devices actually sold to customers remains unclear. Microsoft hopes that strong Windows Phone 7 sales will allow it to reverse several quarters’ worth […]

Hewlett-Packard plans to unveil a tablet running a new version of Palm’s WebOS operating system at January’s Consumer Electronics Show, according to a new online report. Fox News’ Clayton Morris is claiming his organization obtained spec sheets for the device from an unnamed trusted source. “HP will introduce three models of the PalmPad at CES, […]

Not to be outdone by its rivals in the consumer-electronics segment, Apple reported Dec. 21 that it expects sales of its Apple TV to exceed 1 million units this week. It took the company a little more than two-and-a-half months to reach that milestone. Apple could have timed the announcement to dig at arch-rival Google, […]

Apple’s iPad is helping drive consumers’ holiday spending on computer hardware, according to a new note from research firm comScore. That news comes as relatively unsurprising, given the iPad’s robust sales throughout the majority of 2010. However, the overall growth in hardware spending bodes well for retailers and manufacturers, looking for signs that consumers are […]

Here’s one from the Totally Unexpected Department: Microsoft and Nokia are apparently in discussions over porting Windows Phone 7 onto Nokia phones, according to an online report. Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin, in an editorial published on Russian Website Mobile Review, suggested that Nokia and Microsoft initiated the talks a month ago. “They are talking about […]

Microsoft may be reluctant to reveal early sales numbers for Windows Phone 7, but at least one analyst believes the new smartphone platform has a solid chance of establishing itself in the marketplace. “The Windows Phone 7 Marketplace reaching 4,000 apps two months after launch has to be one of the most rapid ramp-ups in […]