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April 14, 2011, 12:05 AM EDT
By Dina Bass
(Updates share price in last paragraph.)
April 13 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. unveiled a new version of its Windows Phone software that will let users run several programs at once and call up information about a place or item by looking at it through the handset’s camera.
The company demonstrated the software at a developer conference today, laying the groundwork for the operating system to appear on phones later this year. Tools that let programmers create applications for the new software will be available in May, Microsoft said at the Las Vegas event.
Microsoft, which overhauled its Windows phone software last year, is counting on new features to regain market share lost to Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Google Inc.’s Android. The company also aims to entice more developers. At today’s event, Microsoft demonstrated concept apps from companies such as Amazon.com Inc., Skype Technologies SA and Spotify Ltd.
The new software, code-named “Mango,” takes advantage of a technology called augmented reality. That means users can point the phone’s camera at something and get additional information on screen. For example, they could scan a landmark and get details on the building and surrounding area.
The Amazon application lets customers scan barcodes to find products online. Microsoft also previewed an app that showed whether audience members viewed through the camera had sent certain messages on Twitter. Besides gaining access to the camera data, the new software will let developers use compasses and gyroscopes if the phone has them.
Playing Catch-Up
Many of the new features are similar to ones already available for Android and Apple’s iOS, said Al Hilwa, an analyst at Framingham, Massachusetts-based research firm IDC. Still, the approach to multitasking may give Microsoft an edge, he said. The software is designed to download content in the background while other apps are running, making for a smoother experience.
“The way multitasking is handled is unique,” he said in an e-mail. “Overall these improvements catch up with the state of the art from other platforms.”
The Redmond, Washington-based company announced that the popular game “Angry Birds” will be available for Windows phones next month. The Skype and Spotify apps are slated for release this autumn. Microsoft also is showing developers features that will let them write Windows applications for the Kinect motion-sensor device.
Microsoft fell 1 cent to $25.63 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have declined 8.2 percent this year.
--Editors: Nick Turner, Jillian Ward
To contact the reporter on this story: Dina Bass in Seattle at dbass2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net
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(Updates share price in last paragraph.)
April 13 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. unveiled a new version of its Windows Phone software that will let users run several programs at once and call up information about a place or item by looking at it through the handset’s camera.
The company demonstrated the software at a developer conference today, laying the groundwork for the operating system to appear on phones later this year. Tools that let programmers create applications for the new software will be available in May, Microsoft said at the Las Vegas event.
Microsoft, which overhauled its Windows phone software last year, is counting on new features to regain market share lost to Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Google Inc.’s Android. The company also aims to entice more developers. At today’s event, Microsoft demonstrated concept apps from companies such as Amazon.com Inc., Skype Technologies SA and Spotify Ltd.
The new software, code-named “Mango,” takes advantage of a technology called augmented reality. That means users can point the phone’s camera at something and get additional information on screen. For example, they could scan a landmark and get details on the building and surrounding area.
The Amazon application lets customers scan barcodes to find products online. Microsoft also previewed an app that showed whether audience members viewed through the camera had sent certain messages on Twitter. Besides gaining access to the camera data, the new software will let developers use compasses and gyroscopes if the phone has them.
Playing Catch-Up
Many of the new features are similar to ones already available for Android and Apple’s iOS, said Al Hilwa, an analyst at Framingham, Massachusetts-based research firm IDC. Still, the approach to multitasking may give Microsoft an edge, he said. The software is designed to download content in the background while other apps are running, making for a smoother experience.
“The way multitasking is handled is unique,” he said in an e-mail. “Overall these improvements catch up with the state of the art from other platforms.”
The Redmond, Washington-based company announced that the popular game “Angry Birds” will be available for Windows phones next month. The Skype and Spotify apps are slated for release this autumn. Microsoft also is showing developers features that will let them write Windows applications for the Kinect motion-sensor device.
Microsoft fell 1 cent to $25.63 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have declined 8.2 percent this year.
--Editors: Nick Turner, Jillian Ward
To contact the reporter on this story: Dina Bass in Seattle at dbass2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net
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