As reported here on Cell Phones Etc. and across the Web, here’s your daily brief on what happened in the world of mobile phones this Friday, July 1st 2011.
Windows Phone Marketplace Reaches 25K Apps
Clearly the Android Market is growing rapidly, and there’s no reason to even mention the Apple App Store, which just breezed by the 100,000 iPad app marker. But we can’t leave the little guys out, especially when their growth is also relatively impressive. Specifically, Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace is reported to have passed 25,000 applications by a site that tracks the app store’s activity.
MobileCrunch
This Is The iPhone 4’s Biggest Threat Yet
There’s still no release date. There’s still no pricing announcement. There isn’t even a finalized official name. But the Samsung Galaxy S II is all but ready for its U.S. launch. The real excitement is on the inside. The Galaxy S II runs the latest version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and sports a zippy 1.2 GHz dual-core processor.
Business Insider
Samsung Galaxy Z: Galaxy S II’s ‘Affordable Little Brother’ Now Ready For Pre-order
Been lusting after the Galaxy S II, but aren’t willing to break the bank? We hear you, and apparently Samsung does too. Up for pre-order today, on the Swedish arm of Three, is the Galaxy Z — billed as a more affordable spawn from its Korean progenitor. The Gingerbread-toting handset will sport a 4.2-inch Super Clear LCD, 1GHz dual core processor (rumored to be Tegra 2), and 8GB of onboard storage, extensible with microSD. Fret not camera junkies, also present is a 5 megapixel sensor plus flash and “HD” video recording.
Engadget
Koodo INQ Cloud Touch Gets Released At Best Buy First
Koodo Mobile never formally announced they’ll be releasing the INQ Cloud Touch, it was parent-company TELUS that stated this Android will be “coming soon”. However, from an internal doc we knew this was hitting Koodo for $200 outright and $50 on the Tab… and it seems Best Buy Mobile made this available today for $0.01 cheaper (release date stated as 07/01/2011). This is actually a good fit for the Koodo lineup, specs have it coming with OS 2.2 Froyo, 3.5-inch display (resolution of 320 x 480), heavy integration with Facebook, 5 megapixel camera with video capabilities, Wi-Fi and the ability to create a Wi-Fi hotspot.
MobileSyrup
Windows Phone To Grab 17% Of Smartphone Market Next Year, Analyst Predicts
According to Chang Chi, the deputy head of Taiwan-based Market Intelligence Center, Windows Phone will have a 17% grip on the smartphone market next year. Chi said that Android’s share of the market in 2011 is 38%, followed by Symbian (23%), and iOS (18%). However, he expects Android’s market share to grow 2% next year, iOS to increase to a 19% share, and Windows Phone to skyrocket to a 17% share of the market. Chi also expects that HTC will surpass RIM and become the fourth largest smartphone maker in the world.
BGR
