Although unconfirmed, the details corroborate field reports that mention small as well as non-existent lines, even at retail stores belonging to Microsoft. Selling 40,000 devices makes a significant launch but well behind other important device launches and definitely behind rates reached by most rivals. For example, Apple sold about 273,000 iPhones in only two days on its debut in June 2007 and sells now nearly as many handsets per day worldwide. Another competitor, Google, sells at least 200,000 Android phones per day.

Analyst Michael Cote, founder of Cote Collaborative, said the low numbers are a consequence of Microsoft’s decision of launching on a Monday. Most Android devices and Apple equally choose a day at the end of the week, most usually on Friday or Saturday, when working people can afford to take some time off to queue up. Cote suggested that despite about $500 million invested in marketing worldwide, many customers could not afford to devote some time to this launch.

The analyst also remarked that Microsoft’s decision of rushing the launch and having as many handsets as possible may have affected its chances rather than helping. Some buyers hold off due to the absence of copy-and-paste text. According to Cote, another reason for customers to be indecisive was the simultaneous launch of four phones and other being promised by the end of this year. Although people in his studies have appreciated the choice, they would have wanted simpler choices, like between devices with or without a keyboard.

Microsoft said it did not expect an immediate turnaround as Windows Phone 7 was in effect starting fresh. The company gave no estimate of how soon it was supposed to bounce back and recover years of decline.

As it seems, the carrier is preparing a true wave of Windows Phone devices for each store and will give high priority to Microsoft’s new platform. Some leaked images suggest that the handsets will be presented together with Windows computers and the Xbox 360 gaming console.

Customers who will visit AT&T stores will be able to choose between three possible devices: the HTC Surround, Samsung Focus and LG Quantum. The Focus is believed to be priced at $200 and similar prices are expected for the Quantum and Surround.

The study also established the biases of the stores where they were different. While both focus on games, Microsoft concentrated mainly on tools and productivity applications. Apple insisted on learning and entertainment. To categorize the two companies is a difficult task since Microsoft may have a simpler category layout, while Apple goes deeper into categories that are more specific categories.

Results may be influenced by the sizes of the respective stores. While Apple had more than 280,000 applications, even about 300,000 according to recent information, the evaluation is more precise on its store. At the same time, the shop belonging to Microsoft is more difficult to gauge.

There is no direct explanation given, but Microsoft has always tried to encourage premium applications when this was possible. Some information about paying for ported applications just to get as many titles as the iPhone and other rivals also appeared. It seems however that the disparity is in the hands of developers so far that they were concerned about the iPhone encouraging a “race to the bottom, many applications struggling to cost more than a few dollars.

Software would make the distinction. The device could have the name changed if released as expected and would be the first hardware shipped with the finished Gingerbread release of Android. Its name could be Android 2.3 and should have a video chat feature added, similar to that of Gmail and resembling to Apple’s FaceTime. Other features are still kept secret, but close integration with Google TV as well as extra visual polish are possible. Samsung is supposed to keep to the stock Android instead of depending on the TouchWiz user interface that it sports usually on Galaxy S phones.

Due to official denials, the existence of the phone is improbable, but the near Samsung’s event on November 8th is supposed to center around an Android handset, which is unusual given that most of its main devices have already been unveiled. A single main candidate remained, the Continuum, which is a dual-screen phone, a Verizon exclusive model.

With the introduction of the Nexus One, Google tried to position it as a way of disturbing the traditional carrier model and, at the same time, as a rival to Apple’s iPhone model of company controlling both the hardware and the software. The phone has been pulled a year later due to low sales and lack of exposure. Google will certainly try to avoid repeating old mistakes related to retail launches and public attention.

The results are also favorable to Samsung, as the Korean company gained a little amount of share. At the same time, LG and Nokia were falling rapidly. The worst case is Nokia’s as it dropped to only 32.4 percent, although it has sold 110.4 million phones. LG dropped from 10.6 percent a year ago to only 8.3 percent now, due to its weak smartphone lineup.

It is notorious that the iPhone and Android were the main factors in smartphone growth. Competition was more acerb in North America, with Motorola and HTC challenging the iPhone. Google had more influence in Western Europe through Samsung and HTC, while Motorola’s cheaper Android handsets, like the original Milestone (Droid) and the Backflip, invaded Latin America. The region of Asia and the Pacific showed lower incomes, although Samsung prospered in its native Korea. Apple’s incursion in Japan was in a way muted in favor of local phone designers.

The future is estimated to be in the hands of some companies like Google, Apple and Research in Motion, as smartphones are supposed to drive growth until 2014 at least. Estimations of IDC show a growth of 55 percent just the next year.

However, the company has not said anything about other users being asked their permission to be tracked. Latitude shows the positions of the friends on the map and requires permission to start but does not necessarily notice users about being tracked in real time. Contacted for comments, Google did not take the opportunity to respond.

Revamped Place pages are now seen by all users and show reviews that are more like new desktop layouts, even those not belonging to Google. Readers can filter out results based on stores that are still open, limit them to a certain neighbourhood or watch related searches on the web.

Google did neither specify if the new features are supposed to work into the iPhone app nor when will this happen. iOS 4 is expected to allow Latitude to run on the iPhone, but real-time tracking is not certain due to privacy concerns. Latitude has not made it to Google Mobile App on iOS by now and is supposed to run only in a web application that stops when the user closes the browser.

Almaer said that while all parties were aligned, everything was fine, but once the company decided to change its strategy and alignment was no more possible, developers would be hurt. Almaer compared the situation with dictatorships and said that as long the dictator was aligned with general interest, things could go even better than in a democracy. But unfortunately, in 99.9 percent of the cases this does not happen. The Open Web gave Almaer and Galbraith an opportunity. Despite of having its own problems, just like in a democracy, it is preferable.

Galbraith outlined that only a pure web option could ensure that devices and their content platforms were not definitely coupled like it was the case of the mobile area, with iOS applications and webOS. It was like, for instance, if Sony’s MiniDisc was largely used but never licensed and therefore no one else could share the same technology.

Almaer also said that coming back from a big company to a small one would also represent a timely change.

The leave of Galbraith and Almaer came at the moment HP shipped webOS 2.0 through Palm’s Pre 2 but kept up an uninterrupted series of departures from Plam’s team for other companies. A vice president was lost for Nokia, while other leaders left for Google and Apple. Jon Rubinstein, former Apple vice president and CEO at Palm is one of the few executives remaining from the phone designer.

Some researchers have blamed BlackBerry’s limited profile in touchscreen devices. Apart from its Storm2, tepidly received, and the not enough tested Torch, RIM avoided touchscreens and often proclaimed its hardware keyboards as attraction points. The two above mentioned phones use the same touchscreen, with a size of 3.25 inches and a resolution of 480×360, as well as the same processor as in devices made in 2008. This was not enough to lure customers away from the iPhone on AT&T or from Android smartphones on Verizon.

Nokia’s drop is attributed to its aging Symbian platform, while its small application store also had a negative impact on customers.

Research in Motion still keeps chances to regain the lost position as it is expected to ship between 13.8 and 14.4 million BlackBerry handsets in fall. The company has objected to the comparison with Apple, since their fiscal quarters end a month apart and this does not reflect the actual performance of RIM. On the other hand, Apple has mentioned it was shipping every phone it could even after the increase of the production. In their short history, the sales of the iPhone have multiplied during the holidays.

In Hewitt’s opinion, open source means to share control with the community. He also criticized Rubin and Jobs because of refusing to share exactly the single thing that is really important, and this is control.

Android is considered more open in allowing developers to build their own versions and distribute them. End users have a wide choice of devices and form factors, while Apple has full control over software and hardware. However, Android developers cannot use features implemented between major updates and the permission of using some official applications means fulfilling certain requirements and also negotiating a license.

Some critics have accused Google of being hypocrite, as it said that openness meant access for everyone, but in many cases it left carriers to control access. For instance, Verizon has imposed the use of Bing on some phones, while AT&T even has ceased to support non-Market access invoking security issues.

Steve Jobs from Apple has often argued that a close system was more adequate for phones because of providing a more consistent working experience.

A1 offers the Samsung’s Omnia 7 and HTC 7 Trophy and HD7. Buyers had to make their purchase in store and the proviso of while supplies are available applied. Those customers who pre-ordered a Windows Phone 7 handset from A1 online will be entered in a draw to win an Xbox 360 even if they did not get a device at launch.