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Dayglored's TL;DR: Microsoft created the "Universal Windows Platform" (UWP) to unite Windows 10, Windows Mobile/Phone, Xbox One, and HoloLens. It failed because Windows Phone died the gooey death in competition with Android and iPhone, and the many shortcomings and restrictions UWP imposed on developers and end-users impeded adoption. It has taken MS a long time to admit that it's dead, but they finally have done so. Microsoft continues to baby-step around the obvious, but it has officially deprecated the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) as it pushes the desktop-focused Windows App SDK (formerly called Project Reunion) and WinUI 3 as the...

Microsoft is killing off Windows Phone 8.1 support today, more than three years after the company first introduced the update. The end of support marks an end to the Windows Phone era, and the millions of devices still running the operating system. While most have accepted that the death of Windows Phone occurred more than a year ago, AdDuplex estimates that nearly 80 percent of all Windows-powered phones are still running Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8, or Windows Phone 8.1. All of these handsets are now officially unsupported, and only 20 percent of all Windows phones are running the...

With so few features, for so few phones, one wonders what the point is.Microsoft’s Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update rides the coattails of the desktop OS, heavily leaning on improvements in Cortana and Edge to nudge Microsoft’s nearly comatose mobile platform further ahead.As the free upgrade rolls out Tuesday, our review of the Creators Update can't help but conclude that it's even less of an improvement than the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update. We can tell you that Windows’ new ability to buy and read ebooks within Edge represents its most potent addition. You can turn off a screen while...

Gartner has released its smartphone stats for Q4 2015 and the news is especially bad for Microsoft. In Q4 2014, the software giant owned 2.8 percent of the smartphone market -- not great, but still good enough for around 10 million units sold. In the same quarter of 2015, however, Windows Phone sales fell to 4.4 million, giving the OS a mere 1.1 percent of the total market. That means that it's basically in a death spiral, as consumers and app developers alike lose interest. Microsoft's rumored Surface Phone now looks like its last hope to rescue the division. The...

Windows Phones are continuing to find solid footing in the market, even as Microsoft obtained the Lumia brand then turned things quiet around them. It seems now is the perfect time to make some serious noise. The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is the best Windows Phone device - and we're not talking about small leaps. This one took the highest one that made a crater upon landing. On the surface, the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is a good-looking phone. It's not all-metal, sadly, but it's comfortable to hold and feels solid. The power and volume buttons are well spaced and...

...And 80% of Windows phone owners desert the ecosystem for Android or iOS. Windows phone shipments took a nose-dive in the third quarter, plummeting 35% from the same period in 2014, researcher Gartner said today. By comparison, total global smartphone shipments climbed 15% in the third quarter. Of the 353 million smartphones shipped in the September quarter worldwide, less than 6 million were powered by Microsoft's Windows, making Windows' share 1.7%, Gartner estimated, down from 3% in the same quarter of 2014. Windows phones shipments tumbled in some of the historic strongholds for the OS, said Roberta Cozza, a Gartner...

Like many smartphone manufacturers, Sony has been dedicated to just one platform, and that’s Google’s Android. But the company might be looking to branch out, and has confirmed to TechRadar that it is in talks with Microsoft about using its Windows Phone OS. Pierre Perron, head of Sony Mobile Europe, explained: “We are continuing our discussions with other partners, including Microsoft, as part of our partnership with this company on the broader Sony spectrum…One thing is using the platform [Windows Phone] itself, and another is ‘what can we deliver on top of it’?” Unlike Google’s free, open-source Android OS, Microsoft...

Apple's iPhones are losing ground in Europe as consumers increasingly opt for Android and Windows Phone handsets, according to researchers. Analysts with Kantar Worldpanel ComTech found that over the third quarter of this year, Apple saw its share of the market in Germany, France, and the UK decline over the same period in 2012, a sign that the release of the iPhone 5s and 5c failed to attract consumers as did the launch of the iPhone 5. According to the researchers, Apple's overall share of the European market shrank on the quarter from 20.8 per cent to 15.8 per cent....

Everyone was understandably excited when Windows Phone got its own native YouTube app. That is, until Google decided it violated the terms of service by blocking advertisements and promptly asked Microsoft to remove the app. The two companies kissed, made up and collaborated on a new version that would adhere to Mountain View's developer guidelines. Unfortunately, it appears that, despite Big G's involvement, the latest version of YouTube for Windows Phone still has some issues that can't be overlooked. Only two days after returning, with the ability to upload video added as a bonus, Google has again begun blocking Microsoft's...

6:15 PMIf Windows Phone really does start to take off, it will be in large part thanks to the efforts of Nokia, the Finnish device manufacturer that has come under withering criticism from both analysts and investors for choosing Microsoft’s mobile platform over Google’s Android. Seeking Alpha has posted a compilation of charts showing that Nokia has been slowly increasing its market share in many key markets, which is helping Windows Phone gain a foothold in its efforts to become the world’s No. 3 mobile operating system.As you can see from the chart, which is based on numbers from Kantar...

We're not sure if this is a good sign for Microsoft or a bad sign for BlackBerry, but Windows Phone is now the third largest smartphone operating system, according to IDC. Since we're optimists, we'll say it's a good sign for Microsoft. It's trying to catch up to Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems. It has a very long way to go before it catches either of them, but it had to start somewhere. Perhaps this is the start of the most unlikely come-from-behind victory in history. Here's the IDC numbers, via All Things D:

If you like what you've seen so far from RIM BlackBerry's big launch event today, then you might want to know when you can get it? Those in the US might have hoped the rumors weren't true, but indeed, you will have to wait until March before you can get your hands on BlackBerry 10. Though when it does land, customers of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint (only Q10 confirmed) and T-Mobile (Z10 confirmed) will all be able to get onboard. BlackBerry's giving its home turf a little bit of a head start with a February 5th release date and Bell,...

The early returns/opinions are in on the Nokia Lumia 920—expected to reach retailers in November—and they declare the new flagship smartphone for Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system a winner. From its high-quality construction to its dazzling display, the Nokia 920, introduced Wednesday, garners kudos across the Net. "It's incredibly handsome," gushed David Pierce at The Verge. "The new Nokia Lumia 920 mobile phone is the best the company has ever made," added Matt Warman, consumer technology editor at The Telegraph, based in the United Kingdom. The 920's construction earned some praise from Andrew Wooden at T3. "Nokia’s R&D department...

Windows Phone could pull ahead of the beleaguered BlackBerry platform in mobile Web usage this fall to take a distant third place behind Android and iOS. It's a dubious distinction, but it also could be the momentum-builder Microsoft needs. In the spirit of the recent Olympics, Windows Phone is in a race of its own to become a bronze winner in the smartphone dash behind Android and iOS. All it needs to do is pass the wounded soldier known as RIM (Research In Motion). New mobile Web usage data from Web traffic analysis site StatCounter indicates this will happen soon....

Analyst reports released in the last two days show Windows Phone sales surging between 115% and 227% compared to a year ago. Does this mean Windows Phone is finally gaining traction, or is it just a blip on the radar? IDC reports that in the second quarter of this year, Windows Phone sales jumped by 115% compared to a year ago, to 5.4 million units, and a 3.5% market share. IDC also notes that Windows Phone "narrowed the gap between itself and BlackBerry last quarter in its bid to become the number 3 mobile OS in terms of market share."...

Microsoft's consolation prize to anyone who owns a current Windows Phone is a new homescreen landing in an update known as Windows Phone 7.8, pictured above running on the Nokia Lumia 900. It's best described as a sweetener to coat the bitter truth that anyone who's shelled out for a Windows Phone in the last 20 months isn't getting the big upgrade to Windows Phone 8. Bitter because Microsoft knew this schism was coming all along but kept Windows Phone buyers in the dark. Instead of iterating the Windows Phone software, Windows Phone 8 is a clean break with Windows...

Microsoft revealed many new details of Windows Phone 8, its smartphone platform due later this year. Here are the cool new features that will make developers and users happy. First of two parts THE GOOD Microsoft on Wednesday revealed key pieces of its Windows Phone 8 smartphone strategy at an event for developers in San Francisco. The news is mostly good, and should vastly improve the scale and reach of the Windows Phone ecosystem when the platform launches later this year. Looking at all the pieces of its mobile strategy offered by Microsoft, it's easy to foresee a brighter future...

Apple's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicked off today with the unveiling of iOS 6 for the iPhone and iPad. Apple is promising over 200 new features in the latest version of its mobile operating system, but only a few of them were highlighted in the keynote. June is an exciting month for smartphone fanatics as Microsoft is expected to unveil the next generation of Windows Phone at an event next Wednesday, June 20 while Google is expected to reveal its plans for the next version of Android, codenamed "Jellybean." While some of the features Apple announced today already exist...

Windows Phone will swing past iOS in the smartphone market share by 2016 to become the second-most-used mobile operating system, a telecom analytics firm predicts. The report by the International Data Corp. says Windows Phone growth will begin picking up, despite a slow start, as a result of Nokia's strength in emerging markets. That growth should bring Windows Phone 19.2% of the market by 2016, which would place it above Apple's iOS, which IDC expects will suffer a slight drop in market share and land at 19%. “Growth will moderate over the five-year forecast, given the large installed base Apple...

Microsoft’s Windows Phones are outselling iPhones in the Chinese and Russian markets. Though Windows Phone was only launched in China 2 months ago it has surged to 7 per cent market share compared to 6 per cent for iOS. Android is still top dog in China with 69 per cent of the market. Meanwhile in Russia figures from their largest mobile operator MTS have been released that paint a similar picture to the Chinese results. In the Russian results Windows Phone accounted for 8.2 per cent of sales compared to 7.3 per cent for iOS devices. The leading sales for...