Nicholas Kolakowski

Microsoft occupied some 9 percent of the U.S. smartphone market in June, according to new data from Nielsen. That total included the company’s Windows Mobile platform, which is being discontinued in favor of Windows Phone 7. It trailed Google Android with 39 percent, Apple’s iPhone with 28 percent, and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry franchise with […]

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Messenger will now support a variety of social applications, increasing the functionality of a core BlackBerry feature targeted by Apple’s upcoming iOS 5. BlackBerry Messenger 6, launched July 28, offers users the ability to chat within an application or game, as well as view lists of applications posted on BBM friends’ […]

Oracle has agreed to acquire InQuira, a company whose portfolio includes analytics and knowledge-base offerings for CRM platforms. Terms of the deal were undisclosed. “The acquisition of InQuira provides Oracle with a complete knowledge-management suite, integrated with self-service support, online customer forums and agent-assisted CRM,” Anthony Lye, senior vice president of Oracle CRM, wrote in […]

A day after Microsoft’s Windows Phone “Mango” update reached its Release to Manufacturing milestone, one of the company’s hardware partners revealed its first smartphone running the software. The IS12T, produced by Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications, will offer a 3.7-inch screen paired to a 13.2-megapixel camera. It will arrive on Japanese store shelves by September or […]

Mozilla is planning a Web-based mobile operating system, known as “Boot to Gecko” (or B2G), that could challenge other upstarts in the browser space such as Google’s Chrome operating system. Specifically, Mozilla will market Boot to Gecko toward smartphones and tablets, and incorporate both Android and Mozilla’s Gecko browser layout engine as part of its […]

SAP reported a rise in revenue for the most recent quarter, suggesting the company can hold its own in the face of fierce competition from Oracle, Microsoft and other tech giants. SAP’s software revenue rose 35 percent, and total revenue 27 percent, from the year-ago quarter. Operating profit declined 47 percent year-over-year, supposedly impacted by […]

Microsoft doesn’t seem to be taking many chances with its Windows Phone “Mango” update-the newest Windows Phone SDK 7.1 “Beta 2 Refresh,” now available from the Mango Connect Website, involves a tweaked updating process to compensate for two areas of potential trouble. The refreshed SDK 7.1 offers some tweaks over the previous Beta 2, including […]

Nokia is bleeding smartphone market share ahead of releasing its first Windows Phone devices, leading some analysts to question whether its deal with Microsoft will eventually pay off. But for those questioning Nokia’s current strategy-i.e., to announce the aforementioned deal, and then wait a few quarters until releasing Windows Phone devices into the market-at least […]

Research In Motion will shed around 2,000 employees this week, in yet another indicator of the company’s battered state. “The workforce reduction is believed to be a prudent and necessary step for the long term success of the company,” read RIM’s July 25 statement on the matter, “and it follows an extended period of rapid […]

Now that Microsoft’s Windows Phone “Mango” update has reached the release-to-manufacturing milestone, the company’s hardware partners need to ensure the enhanced software can play nicely with their next-generation devices. The consequences of a bumpy rollout are potentially dire for Windows Phone, which is struggling for market share against determined competitors such as Google Android and […]

Apple’s App Store policies concerning in-app purchases are beginning to force other companies to react. Amazon.com has already issued an updated Kindle for iPhone application that removes the Kindle Store button. That means anyone attempting to use an iOS device to purchase Kindle e-books will need to route over to Amazon’s Website, instead of being […]

Computer Systems Analysts Depending on the company and the need, computer systems analysts can be tasked with anything from analyzing a CRM (customer relationship management) system to leveraging existing IT assets to boost workplace productivity. Computer Software Engineers (App Developers) These workers design and build programs, including the mobile apps that are growing increasingly popular. […]