The unlikely winner of CES 2012 – Windows Phone

 

It’s clear from market statistics that Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android are the predominant smartphone platforms currently. But if the buzz at CES is anything to go by, Windows Phone will soon emerge as a strong contender to sit alongside these brands and associated ecosystems.

So how with its small market share how did Windows Phone come out as the winner at CES? It would have seemed unlikely heading into CES – particularly as there were dozens of other products vying for attention - from new cars (Ford launched the 2013 Fusion/Mondeo at CES), to dozens of Android tablets and handsets, OLED TVs, Ultrabooks amongst others.

Summing up why Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform got so much attention at CES is actually simple: Windows Phone is ready in just about every way. To break that down a little more there are five areas where it stands out:

1. Ecosystem – In the US at least, Microsoft have built a broad ecosystem around Windows Phone (and their other platforms). Music, Video, Xbox Live Gaming, Bing Search, Maps and more. Microsoft assures me this ecosystem will continue to expand globally in 2012.
2. Native compatibility - Windows Phone naturally ties closely with Xbox and Windows. These are the world’s top gaming, entertainment and computing platforms. And built in compatibility with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft Office, Exchange Server and Microsoft’s cloud offerings are second to none.
3. Wow factor – the newest Windows Phones have it, particularly the Nokia Lumia 900, it’s sibling the Lumia 800 and some handsets from HTC and Samsung.
4. Ease of Use – this is probably the easiest mobile platform to use right now. Most people would expect Apple to get that crown, but Microsoft are in the process of reinventing the touch user interface with Metro – a ‘design language’ that will soon span Windows Phone, Xbox 360 and Windows 8. If you’re using another platform and don’t believe me I suggest you try out a Windows Phone handset loaded with your email, contacts and social networks.
5. Nokia – Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia is invaluable. Though Nokia lost market share in recent years their brand still carries a lot of weight and they still sell more mobile phones than anyone else. When Nokia came to CES with the Lumia 900, pro journalists, bloggers and podcasters alike took notice. It’s a gorgeous Windows Phone 4G handset featuring a beautiful large screen, Carl Zeiss cameras and bundled apps that are actually useful.

To be fair, Windows Phone isn’t perfect yet, though neither are the other mobile platforms. It’s main shortcoming is missing apps. The current pool of 50,000+ apps meets most needs – but if you’ve been using another platform there is a chance one or more of your favourite apps isn’t launched on Windows Phone just yet.

Longer term missing apps should be less of a problem as analysts predict that Windows Phone will be more popular than the iPhone by sometime in 2015. And when popularity arrives, so do apps.

Despite a few shortcoming I see Windows Phone as the winner of CES 2012. Now when will Vodafone, Telecom and 2degrees launch some new Windows Phones into the NZ market? (Apparently very soon in the case of Vodafone and Telecom)

You can catch more coverage of CES 2012 by listening to recent episodes of the NZ Tech Podcast. For more on Windows Phone visit Windows Phone NZ.

We want you! IT & Network Support

Good news - Gorilla Technology is looking for a keen and enthusiastic person to join our team. Could that be you?

I’m looking for someone who both learns technical things quickly and has great people skills.

If you’re just looking for ‘another job’ then this probably isn’t the role for you. At Gorilla we work differently from other companies and we’re looking for someone who stands out from the crowd.

There is much to Gorilla’s special sauce (we call it ‘The Gorilla Way’) that differentiates us. From an employee perspective you’ll benefit from:
• Being part of a tight knit and friendly team who work closely together – supporting and learning from each other while sharing knowledge and ideas
• Working with the newest and best technologies available. As part of ‘The Gorilla Way’ we leverage fresh technology to make ourselves and our customers more successful. As an example virtually all of our PC users run Windows 7 (and naturally we work with Mac too). And in-house we’re testing Windows 8.
• Huge growth potential - most people move ahead faster than the industry standard for career development whilst at Gorilla
At Gorilla though, we don’t believe in technology for technology’s sake – using it has to make business sense so we teach all our staff about business and communication so we can relate the benefits to our clients.
Attributes you must have:
• Permit to work in NZ
• Great spoken and written English
• Ability to start within 4 weeks
• Experience in the Auckland arena

Skills that would be beneficial for you to bring to the table include:
• Great people skills and an ability to communicate with people at all levels
• Technical skills: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008/R2, Mac OS X, Exchange Server 2007/2010, ISA/TMG Server, Cisco, Firewalls, TCP/IP
Note that applicants will need a drivers license and their own vehicle.

If this sounds like you, please drop us a line with a covering letter and your CV to: careers2011@gorillatechnology.com

NZ Tech Podcast: Remembering Steve Jobs

Episode 36 sees the NZ Tech Podcast speak with NZ’s world beating Free Range Robotics team and remember Apple founder Steve Jobs who sadly passed away last week.

Other highlights covered include the Apple iPhone 4s, the new Facebook app for iPad, Sony’s Netflix box and a review of the HD Homerun.

As usual you will find our latest updates via Twitter @NZTechPodcast, the NZTechPodcast.com website and our facebook page.

Get the Podcast here:

• Listen to Episode 36 directly
• Subscribe and listen via iTunes
• Subscribe and listen via Zune
• RSS Feed

NZ Tech Podcast talks Social Media

In this special episode of the NZ Tech Podcast two of NZ’s most experienced social media strategists. Piero Liguori (ex 2degrees) and Tom Bates (Contagion, ex Air NZ) joined Paul Spain to discuss a range of topics. High on the agenda was the new Facebook including new features such as Facebook Timeline and associated privacy concerns. And we pondered what opportunity Google+ has since opening up the beta gates so anyone can join without an invite.

General news topics this week included discussion of the Samsung Galaxy S Wi-Fi 5.0 (Android), Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) and we discuss November iPhone 5 availability in New Zealand.

And The Onion’s ‘Facebook CIA Project’ was a point of entertainment – if you haven’t seen it before this is well worth a quick watch.

Video discussed during NZ Tech Podcast episode 34: Facebook CIA Project

You can stay tuned for latest NZ Tech Podcast updates via Twitter @NZTechPodcast, the NZTechPodcast.com website and the facebook page.

Get the Podcast here:

• Listen to Episode 34 directly
• Subscribe and listen via iTunes
• Subscribe and listen via Zune
• RSS Feed

Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ update available

Microsoft have started offering end users the full release version of the Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ update for existing Windows Phone 7 handsets. This the first major upgrade since the release of Windows Phone 7 in late 2010 – offering over 500 new features. It’s a move which is expected to help Microsoft establish a stronger position in the smartphone market over the coming year.

The update appears to be shipping to a mix of handsets from different manufacturers and carriers according to user feedback online. There is also a technique to speed up the update process for those who are not seeing the update listed on their phone or via the Zune client.

Around 10pm NZ time on Tuesday, 27 September Microsoft launched a new website for Windows Phone 7 – with regional specific variations available locally including in NZ.

At a similar time they also updated the ‘Where’s my phone update’ page which highlighted that the Windows Phone 7.5 update is approved by every Windows Phone 7 carrier globally with the exception of Sprint (US) and Telefonica (Spain) who are listed as still testing the update.Within hours the website was updated to indicate that the ‘Mango’ update was rolling out to users.

As we announced on Monday the Mango update will load directly onto most devices – even developer updated handsets with interim developer builds. This is in contrast to Microsoft’s original advice when installing developer builds and makes life much easier for this community and others who had managed to gain early access to the various pre-release versions of the Mango operating system software update.

To keep up-to-date with the latest breaking news on Windows Phone 7.5 and other tech news be sure to follow @WindowsPhoneNZ, @PaulSpain and @NZTechPodcast on twitter.