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Windows phones 'oust Blackberry'

Microsoft claims it is the third most popular smartphone operating system

Windows phones 'oust Blackberry'
Microsoft concedes it left users of conventional PCs disappointed with the changes to its key Windows 8 operating system

Microsoft has set out its plans to reinvigorate its ailing Windows software on mobile phones and desktop computers.
Opening the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, the US software giant claimed that it has now surpassed BlackBerry to become the third most popular smartphone operating system after Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.
But it conceded that it had left users of conventional PCs disappointed with the changes that came with its key Windows 8 operating system, highlighting decreased satisfaction found in user surveys.
The iconic Start button has already returned in an updated Windows 8.1. Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore announced that a new update due in the spring would also make basic search settings easier to find.
Mr Belfiore was keen to stress, however, that the Windows 8 update was in the right overall direction, with its large “tiles” replacing small icons that were seen as unfriendly for tablet computer users.
“None of the work we’re doing has any intention of degrading the touch experience,” he said. “Our intent is to work with our hardware partners to modernise the experience on mouse and keyboard.”
He appeared to concede, however, that many in Microsoft’s key audience of office-based users with a conventional screen, keyboard and mouse had felt abandoned in favour of tablet users.
In a further sign that Microsoft was reaching out to past customers, he announced that the latest versions of Internet Explorer would be able to emulate an older one so that older software, particularly in use in schools and businesses, would still work.
Windows Phone software, meanwhile, appears to be finding its best success in new demographics and new markets, and will now be made available to lower-specification devices. Although, via Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia, Mr Belfiore said the platform would continue to see “innovation at the top end”, he admitted that it was popular among those for whom a Windows phone was their first smartphone.
Emphasising that it was Microsoft who benefited from the decline of other makers, Mr Belfiore said: “The momentum is ours – we’ve overtaken BlackBerry to become the third largest ecosystem. It’s the smartpone reinvented around you. We’re gaining market share every day.”
Windows Phone has been criticised for a lack of apps and Mr Belfiore said that the important Facebook Messenger would be coming soon, while devices will also gain crucial security features key for business users, such as improved access to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). In developing markets, dual-sim models will also be launched with a range of manufacturers.
Mobile World Congress is the world’s most important show for mobile phones, and Microsoft’s lack of new hardware to announce was in sharp contrast to Samsung, which has already announced new smartwatches and is widely expected to announce the Galaxy S5, the most popular high-end Android smartphone, on Tuesday night.
Chinese manufacturer Huawei has already announced a fitness tracker, the TalkBand, that features a curved screen and is designed to look like a watch. Although the trend is not new, it emphasises that the show will see a slew of new products, from wearable technologies such as watches and glasses, to new phones and tablets.
Mr Belfiore, however, may not like all the announcements that analysts are expecting. Nokia, which Microsoft is buying but has yet to finish purchasing, is widely expected to announce a device that uses the Google Android operating system.
Asked about such a possibility, Mr Belfiore said: “We already have a terrific engineering relationship with Nokia. But they’re an independent company and we haven’t yet completed our acquisition. Certainly they will do some things that we’re excited about and some things that maybe we’re a little less excited about.”

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