At Microsoft developers Forum in Japan nine new Windows Phone are being presented. It’s awesome to see new and better hardware with solidifying software. Mango release is promised to be big. How big? This big! 500 new features are promised in Japan by Steve Balmer in the Mango release.

“Windows 8″ and “next generation of Windows systems” have now been heard from the lips of Steve Ballmer. These next generation systems should be out next year. New and exciting times are upon Microsoft. New tablets and PCs are also being mentioned. Here is Steve Balmer’s transcript:

“We’re obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We’ve done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We’ve added touch, and ink, and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there’s a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.”

Later this statement was recanted with this bid:

“It appears there was a misstatement. We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows.”

D9 conference is coming next week and we hope that more light will be shed on some of these questions. Microsoft’s Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky is supposed to feature Microsoft’s demo of Windows 8 Tablet UI. First tech preview or beta of Windows 8 should be available in September.

Who will be building these new Windows Phones? We’ll let you know just as soon as we find out.

Let’s have a listen to Steve Balmer and his outlook on future development of Windows Phone features:

Via engadget

It has been revealed in the Quarterly market statistics from ComScore that the Windows Phone 7 is not offering that much boost to the mobile market prominence of Microsoft. The company looks at smartphone shares in a 3 month period and by January 2011; a 1.7% decrease was noted. According to the statistics of more than 65 million smartphone users in the US, Android is at the top of the league with 31, 2% increase. Next is RIM but it scaled back to a 5.4% decrease. Apple is quite stagnant with a 0.1% increase and Microsoft is second to the last, Palm being the lowest in market shares.

This decline may be a reflection of the movement of consumers from one OS to another before the WP7 was released. The customersaple, from Sprint and Verizon were not part of that initial launch of the said OS and they could have chosen another OS that dampened the shares of Microsoft. Well, it is still quite early to determine what will happen to the WP7 and it would best to see what will unfold soon i the next ComScore revelation. WP7 will also have the NoDo Update and we will see the new changes when Verizon and Sprint are included in the scoring.

Some other interesting stats can found in comscore

Mobile phones are getting smarter and smarter and smartphones are getting intelligent. So where are we heading to? The phone is now a versatile mobile device. It has replaced, or rather integrated, many different functionalities into a single hand-held device. The internet is being used very widely and frequently on the mobile phone. The Internet has been susceptible to a constant threat. Now the same threat looms over the mobile smartphone- the Virus.

Fortunately the threat on mobile phones is not as severe as we have experienced sadly in PCs, laptop computers  and very similar portable devices. The need for protection has however been raised  meaningfully, as it is wise to learn from our past bitter experiences. The time is ripe and there is a preemptive move to address the need. So when your smartphone  or micro-computer gets affected and hangs up, you need to use anti-virus software. The first thing to know, is which operating system is installed in your phone. The next step is to outsource the compatible anti-virus software and get a solution to counter this threat. There are options available for Windows Phone platforms too.

Preventive steps are better than treatment

The infection of virus can be through the usage of the internet and downloads, or it could be via Bluetooth, SMS or MMS messages or Memory card exchanges. Sometimes it is difficult to stop the virus coming through Bluetooth or if a Wi-Fi connection is used. If you are able to detect it in time, deactivate the process or switch off the facility or the phone, if you can. Do not install pirated software or accept messages sent via Bluetooth; rather accept only from known sources. An infected memory card can have files that can automatically execute, so if it is possible to scan the card, the better. MMS from unknown sources can be avoided. But if the virus is unwittingly sent from a known source, then its unavoidable. You have to resort to an anti-virus software to remove the virus.

Proceed to cure &  protect

Download a compatible anti-virus from a reliable source or buy legal anti-virus software and load it. Scan the mobile phone for threats, detection, or removal of virus. If the phone has media then, scan them too, to be sure. You must restart the phone after scanning. To make sure, scan a second time. Reset your phone to factory settings, which usually wipes out all memory.  Later on periodically scan or check with the software. If any problem persists, contact the phone manufacturer.

Anti-Virus Software available

We must understand that the market is just growing. So branded software offering virus protection for mobile phones are not many. But a few suppliers have started to offer such a solution, as awareness is increasing. Some of the software available are given here.

McAfee Virus Scan Mobile:

A recognised software developer McAfee has begun to offer such a mobile product from March 2009.  The software uses a minimum of the phone’s resources to be run. In fact, it’s claimed it can run while the phone is in use. McAfee gives a real-time defence against threats that target the mobile phone, mobile devices, mobile content and mobile services.

Kaspersky Mobile Security 9

This is also another anti-virus software for mobile phones from Kaspersky. Not only does it protect but also prevents identity theft too. It also features family controls to help parents prevent incoming or outgoing usage of certain numbers and has tracking with help of Google Maps and GPS Find to locate the device/user.

Ahnlab Mobile Security:

Ahn Lab is a South Korean  security solutions provider that has produced software security for the iPhone , Android and Blackberry mobile phones from March 2010. The software offers protection from communications channels like SMS, MMS and email attachments, a “Virus Scan & Cure” for attachments, plus real-time monitoring. It also updates protections automatically or manually.

Best to opt for protection

Mobile phones or smartphones are increasingly becoming small computers. So they are also become susceptible to virus or malware like PCs or laptops. The best thing to do to protect your valuable data and functionality of device, is to opt for a security product from a reliable company. The software installed can detect malicious content. Protect the operating system using real-time automatic and on-demand virus scan. The firewall should protect data and applications using protocol and port filtering. Consistent upgrades will protect from potential threats.

BullGuard Mobile Antivirus:

This is an anti-virus software that blocks malicious content coming in  through Bluetooth connectivity, email attachments, SMS or MMS. Bull Guard has 24×7 support and over-the-air updates for the loaded version. Scans can be made whenever necessary.

F-Secure Mobile Security:

This anti-virus software offers protection against download-able threats including those transmitted through email, SMS, MMS or Bluetooth. Using F-Secure while web browsing, blocks harmful websites. F-Secure also offers theft protection, makes the phone traceable, and continuously updates to keep the consumer’s protection active against the latest malicious threats.

Airscanner Antivirus:

An anti-virus software which has been used by millions, Airscanner is one of  the oldest and widely used on the Windows Mobile operating system. It has cutting edge software and pioneering anti-malware research behind it. It has real-time background scanning on optimised speed, to detect quarantine or eradicate airborne viruses.

Symantec Mobile:

This software offers secure mobile computing as it provides a comprehensive virus protection and quarantine against malicious threats. The easy to update Wireless Live Update ensures upgraded security definitions.

Trend Micro:

To protect against malware attacks, data theft, viruses, infected text messages and such other problems Trend Micro Mobile Security has the packaged protection. It has on-device alerts to respond promptly to threats. It’s optimised to preserve handset performance and leaves a minimal install footprint.

About phone Viruses:
The phone virus demonstrated its existence in 2004. The virus “Cabir” is a computer worm that affects the Symbian OS phones, spread through Bluetooth. After Cabir, malicious code writers further modified it to make it more harmful. Variants and other viruses could completely disable the phone. Others could delete the data or send long messages. By 2006 several Trojan viruses were around, like the SymbOS Sendtool which affects the Symbian OS. The PB Stealer family of Trojans move via Bluetooth. C Dropper belongs to the family of Symbian SIS file Trojans that can install Cabir variants. The virus that news was the CommWarrior, which is found to infect memory media like SD cards or memory sticks. It spread through MMS, or messages having audio, video or picture files. By far the most malicious virus detected has been WINCE_INFOJACK.A, a worm. It runs on Windows CE and steals data or changes the security settings. So smartphones, mobile devices and communication gadgets have to have virus protection as these devices become more versatile, sophisticated and powerful.

Sprint’s executive David Owens speaks about Windows and  Android platforms and what future they hold with respect to Sprint. Sprint seems inquisitive about Windows Mobile 7 and looks more optimistic with Android. Have a look:

About Windows Mobile 7

They want Windows Mobile 7 "as soon as possible, but dependent on Microsoft.”

About WM 6.5 ROM upgrade for HTC Touch 2

They’re testing Windows Mobile 6.5 updates for the HTC Touch Pro2 and other Windows phones; "plan for early 2010."

About Touch 2 availability

“Channel decision for now.  Available in direct channels today.”

Data plans

No tethering for phones that require Everything plans (such as all smartphones) from here on out.

Read more here.

Via Mobiletechworld

For HTC, the campaign strategy is quite simplified- its all about ‘you.’ If you don’t get that, check out the latest HTC Ads. HTC seems pretty attached to this kind of promotion.

So, are the ads some kind of a reaction to its popular competitors like iPhone and Android. Have a glimpse at the videos below and the press release following that.

Here’s the press release:

TAOYUAN, Taiwan – October 26, 2009 – HTC Corporation, a global smartphone designer, today unveiled a global advertising campaign that is based on HTC’s new Quietly Brilliant brand positioning.  As HTC’s first global advertising campaign, the YOU campaign is being rolled out across 20 countries in the coming weeks and features the tagline, ‘You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.’  This represents HTC’s commitment to focus on people, their needs and how they work and live to ensure that HTC devices suit them.

"Quietly brilliant is doing great things in a humble way, with the belief that the best things in life can only be experienced, not explained," said John Wang, chief marketing officer, HTC Corporation. "The YOU campaign is the perfect embodiment of ‘quietly brilliant’ and is core to HTC as a company, innovator and partner."

The YOU campaign is focused on driving broad, global visibility and understanding of HTC’s unique brand promise – that it’s all about YOU, the consumer, and in fact not the device. HTC worked with Los Angeles-based advertising agency, Deutsch LA Inc. to create the YOU campaign that will employ an integrated-media approach to reach consumers via television, print, outdoor and online.  HTC’s design expertise will be echoed throughout the campaign, with commercial spots highlighting the unique functionality of HTC smartphones.

"We’ve come to have a very emotional relationship with our phones. Many of our key experiences in any given day come through this one device and yet most of the advertising in the category is still about utility," says Eric Hirshberg, co-CEO and chief creative officer, Deutsch LA. "HTC’s whole design philosophy is very personal. They make phones where your experience is completely unique, so we think there is a connection between how people feel about their phones and how HTC makes them."

HTC worked with London-based creative consultancy, FigTree to create the quietly brilliant brand positioning. The ‘quietly brilliant’ positioning was inspired by HTC’s culture of putting customers first, born from a heritage of creating breakthrough products and continued innovation. As part of HTC’s culture, the "quietly brilliant" positioning will be rolled out in all forms of communication and brand touch points across the company.

"Some of life’s most brilliant ideas started with a simple doodle on the back of a napkin," said Simon Myers, CEO of Figtree. "HTC’s new look uses this visual language of doodles to explain all the quietly brilliant features and benefits of HTC devices in a simple and human way."