That’s probably not the kind of thing that Microsoft really wanted to hear. A senior LG official has told a South Korean newspaper that the company has no particular further Windows Phone 7 plans… although oddly it’s still researching them.
LG was one of a handful of companies that proudly showed off Windows Phone 7 handsets when the mobile operating system launched, and then… not so much.
A report in The Korea Herald quotes an unnamed LG spokesperson as stating that they were taking a step back from Windows phones to concentrate on Android. That statement was apparently made last week, but in the context of an upcoming South Korean visit by Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, LG was said as looking to “continue research and development efforts” on Windows phones. The reason why LG’s stepping back from Windows Phone?
“The total unit of Windows Phone sold in the global market is not a meaningful figure.”
There was a lot of speculation when Nokia announced its close tie-up with Microsoft that other OEMs may feel put out, and it seems as though that’s come to play. LG will concentrate on Android handsets for the forseeable future; that leaves (for the time being) HTC and Samsung still in the Windows Phone space alongside Nokia. [Korea Herald via Phone Arena]
Windows should really just give up on the WM7.... its terriblly ugly, fairly un-user friendly and obviously doesnt sell to well either! Its hard to see a good reason to buy WM7 Phones when the Android software seems so much better in so many ways....
Personally I prefer the simplicity of the WP7 interface to the other platforms, and as far as user friendliness goes. I much prefer my Windows Phone to Android.
What it comes down to is personal preference, I'm in the WP7 camp
Don't know if trolling or just ignorant. Windows Phone is NOT Windows Mobile. WM6.x was fine for PDAs, but as a phone it generally sucked (Palm devices notwithstanding). WP7 on the other hand is a solid system that is facing an uphill battle against the incumbents *and* its own legacy (namely, the name "Windows").
Words like "ugly" and "better" are purely subjective, so it seems that WP7 is not for you. But my sister and a few others I know have converted from Android and iPhone to WP7 and so far, they're impressed. Tried to set up a Hotmail account on a friend's Galaxy the other day - the OS doesn't support it natively! I was liek "WTF!?" because WP7 has no problem natively syncing its contacts and calendar with Google's services.
Use the exchange server m.hotmail.com
ah cool, thanks. I'm a pure hardware nerd and I didn't have time to search for a solution. Will give that a shot!
The problem is that it's bad. It might be subjective but sales figures show that quite a few people think that it's useful.
I agree with Si, after having both and iPhone and andriods over the past couple of years. My windows 7 phone (which was easily the cheapest by far) has been my favourite...simply because it is perfectly user friendly (although I can't really argue with your obvious experience as a previous owner of a windows phone?)
Reasons you are a Troll:
1) Calling it WM
2) Claiming Android is more user friendly
In other news, LG's WP devices were fkn nasty, no wonder LG didn't get any meaningful sales until they discounted them to $150.
My brother, who has just switched from a Galaxy S to an LG Optimus 7, would disagree with you. He finds it a joy to use in comparison to Android and reckons it does everything faster, as well as being easier to use almost straight away. I was really surprised he took to it as he loved his Android phone and still has a Galaxy Tab 8.9.
I think it shows that a lot of users are wedded to whatever OS their first smartphone uses, in that they confuse all the things that every smartphone brings with the specific OS they are using. i.e. They think that Android or iOS are what matters, when the fact is that every smartphone platform offers all the same stuff, just presented in a slightly different way. You especially find that with diehard Blackberry users until you pry the device from their hand and replace it with a proper smartphone. I reckon a lot of iOS and Android users would be the same if they tried WinPhone. It was certainly a revelation for me after Bada, yet Bada and Android seemed very similar when I bought my Wave and when I tried iOS against WP7, WP7 seemed better there, too. The challenge, of course, is to get sheeple to give it a go and I think MS are banking on Windows 8 and WinPhone 8 to give users a nudge in that direction. Building WP8 off Win8 will make it easier for them to persevere and MS have shown that they are pretty good at the long game, so I wouldn't write them off just yet.
"a lot of users are wedded to whatever OS their first smartphone uses"
Not really. I would say that the majority of smartphone users are freely able to switch freely between what they want. I juggled an iPhone 3GS and HTC Legend for a while before moving full time to the iPhone 4 and now sitting pretty on a GNex. I'm reminded how many apps are tied to my account every time I sync a new phone to iTunes/Google Play.
On the other hand, I spent a month with WP7 during the Telstra social media launch and couldn't use it as my primary driver because too many services are not usable on the platform. This gap has only widened in the last year or so.
Give people credit and stop throwing "Sheeple" around, they're a lot more tech agnostic than you think. You're the most notorious pro-MS poster on Giz AU, and I'm waiting with bated breath to see how your "W8 mobile will overtake iOS in the first few months" prediction will pan out.
Obviously a troller. Anyone who have used Windows Phone will not say its ugly. Just a useless comment by another Android fanboy.
I think Anrdoid is pretty shit myself and Apple is crappier than Android. I am looking forward to ditching my SGII for a Windows phone. Just make some fucking phones already.
Agreed. Im desperate keen to try a windows phone but I want it to be an upgrade from my SGS2.
Yeah, the term "upgrade" is a bit subjective too isn't it! :--]
SGS2 is a nice-looking and device that performs well - as much as I like WP7, I'd have to give it 6 months (i.e. WP8 phones) before a Windows Phone could be considered an "upgrade" on the SGS2 on purely objective measures.
If you really want to just give it a shot, do what I did: buy an HTC Trophy from eBay for $250 or so and give WP7 a shot. I didn't want to risk signing up for a contract or paying a big upfront price in case WP7 sucked; now I have a Lumia on a 12 month plan; next April I'll almost certainly be getting a WP8 handset - probably another Nokia if they manage to refine this PureView design:
http://www.gsmarena.com/is_this_nokia_lumia_pureview_we_hope_not-news-4065.php
What's this? A phone that isn't a glossy black slab?? The subtle curves of the Lumia 800 are pleasing, but this thing hits my sci-fi geek buttons.
+1 in this camp. Sick of apps crashing on the GSII, even after an ICS upgrade.