Users who are interested in a Google-powered Chromebook only have two options, Acer’s AC700 or Samsung’s Series 5 Chromebook. Both laptops are powered by an Intel Atom processor, the only chip the platform currently supports. Recent rumors have suggest that Chrome OS may soon support ARM-based processors, however, opening up a number of new doors for the platform. According to the Chromium OS issue tracker, a new product code-named “Daisy” is mentioned numerous times, equipped a Samsung Exynos 5250 chip. Samsung’s 32nm chip will feature an ARM Cortex-A15 design and will be capable of running at speeds up to 2GHz — all while using less power than ARM Cortex-A9 chips and Intel Atom processors. The Chromium project is open-source, with user contributions playing a large roll in development. As such, the “Daisy” appearances do not necessarily mean Google is directly involved with the development.

[Via Liliputing]

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A recent report from Net Applications suggests that Apple’s iOS and Mac OS X operating systems both achieved a record high global market shares during the month of September. iOS had a global market share of 54.65% for the month, up from the 53.04% grip it had on the market in August. iOS is trailed by Java ME with an 18.52% market share, Android (16.25%)  Symbian (6.12%) and BlackBerry (3.29%). Mac OS X reached a record high 6.45% share of the operating system market during September, up from 6.03% in August, which is dominated by Microsoft’s Windows (92.44%). Linux has a fraction of the market with a small 1.11% piece of the pie. Apple is expected to take the wraps off of its next iPhone during a press conference in Cupertino on October 4th, and we’ll be reporting all the news as it breaks.

Read [Net Applications] Read [2]

Nokia is again developing a proprietary smartphone operating system after announcing this past February that it would abandon both Symbian and MeeGo in favor of Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. Citing multiple anonymous sources, The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported that Nokia’s executive vice president of mobile phones, Mary McDowell, is heading up the project. Code-named “Meltemi,” the new mobile platform is reportedly Linux-based and it is intended for use on low-end smartphones. BGR has independently confirmed the report, and we have learned additional details that paint an exciting new picture of the mobile industry should Nokia’s new OS realize its potential.

Updated with statement from Nokia.

The big question mark that the Journal’s report doesn’t address is what Meltemi — the Greek name for winds across the Aegean Sea from the north in the summer — means for Nokia’s plans with Windows Phone. Nokia’s chief executive Stephen Elop confirmed on multiple occasions that the company plans to offer Microsoft’s new mobile OS on high-end and low-end devices, thus continuing its efforts across all markets.

While the development of a new proprietary operating system has obvious implications for Windows Phone in emerging markets, BGR has learned that Nokia’s plans likely haven’t changed much since the Meltemi project began. Nokia still intends to offer a range of smartphones powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, and this range includes entry-level, mid-range and high-end smartphones.

Meltemi, a source has informed BGR, is being built to eventually replace Nokia’s Series 40 platform, which currently powers the company’s feature phones. Nokia’s vision is seemingly to build an operating system with capability that reaches well beyond “S40,” but that can function on similar low-cost hardware. This new platform will be fairly capable, but our understanding is that it will not be a full-fledged OS intended to compete with the likes of Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

Nokia will build low-cost Windows Phones to address certain demographics, but Meltemi will allow the cell phone vendor to bring smartphone functionality to emerging markets at rock-bottom prices. The licensing fees, hardware requirements and other costs tied to Windows Phone, we’re told, would never allow Nokia to hit the price points it will achieve with Meltemi — not even with Microsoft’s upcoming stripped down version of Windows Phone dubbed “Tango.”

Nokia is the world’s top cell phone vendor by volume, having sold 461 million mobile phones in 2010 according to recent data from market research firm Gartner. A world where nearly all of those devices are smartphones would see countless new doors open for Nokia and for its hundreds of millions of customers.

UPDATE: Nokia spokesperson Kendra Petrone provided the following statement to BGR via email:

While we don’t comment on future products or technologies, I can say that our Mobile Phones team has a number of exciting projects in the works that will help connect the next billion consumers to the Internet. When it comes to smartphones, as we have said repeatedly, Windows Phone is our smartphone platform of choice. We are confident in our efforts to build a joint ecosystem with Microsoft, and we are aggressively executing that strategy with operators, retailers, developers and other stakeholders.

Intel announced on Wednesday that it will be shifting its efforts from MeeGo to the new “Tizen” mobile operating system recently announced by The Linux Foundation. The move is in line with reports from early September that suggested Intel would move on due to a lack of consumer enthusiasm surrounding the OS. Nokia launched the MeeGo-powered N9 this month but also announced in June that it was ditching the platform in favor of Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS. “We believe the future belongs to HTML5-based applications, outside of a relatively small percentage of apps, and we are firmly convinced that our investment needs to shift toward HTML5,” Intel said in a blog post, explaining why it did not decide to evolve MeeGo. “Shifting to HTML5 doesn’t just mean slapping a web runtime on an existing Linux, even one aimed at mobile, as MeeGo has been.” Intel also noted Tizen will support smartphones, tablets, netbooks, smart TVs and in-vehicle systems. 

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer surprised developers during Micorosft’s BUILD conference in California on Wednesday when he took the stage to talk up Microsoft’s new operating system, currently named Windows 8. Ballmer noted that there have already been 500,000 downloads of the operating system since it went live last night. “We still have a long way to go with Windows 8,” Ballmer said. “We’re retooling all of what we do.” Ballmer believes that the changes will compel developers to begin to favor Microsoft’s operating system, which he expects will ship on 350 million PCs this year alone. “There is no phone, there is nothing on the tablet, there is no operating system on the planet that will ship 350 million units of anything other than Windows,” Ballmer boasted, noting that Windows 8 supports both Intel and ARM chipsets. Before wrapping up, Ballmer, in typical fashion, called on “developers, developers, developers” to rally around Windows 8.

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Just days ahead of the IFA trade show in Berlin, Samsung officially unveiled three new bada 2.0-powered handsets: the Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y. We first heard wind of the Wave 3 last week when an Android user spotted it inside of Samsung’s Mobile Unpacked APK and now we have the full details. The Wave 3 is the high-end smartphone of the bunch and comes equipped with a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel camera, a 1.4GHz processor and HSPA connectivity all in a 9mm thin brush-aluminum shell. The Wave M is the first device to hit the market with Samsung’s new ChatON messaging software pre-installed. It offers a 3.65-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, optional NFC connectivity, Wi-Fi direct, a tempered glass screen and a metallic body. The Samsung Wave Y is an entry-level bada 2.0 device and it is equipped with a a 3.2-inch HVGA display and a 2-megapixel camera. Read on for the full press release and a video detailing the new bada 2.0 operating system.

Samsung debuts a trio of new bada 2.0-powered Wave smartphones, in the lead of Wave 3

New Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y smartphones combine stylish design with ChatON mobile communication service

Seoul, Korea, August 30, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the launch of the flagship 4″ chic smartphone Wave 3, the social-powerhouse Wave M and the smart-start Wave Y.

All three devices, borne of Samsung’s heritage in innovation, are powered by Samsung’s own new bada 2.0 platform which brings together a wide variety of new capabilities including multi-tasking, Wi-Fi Direct, voice recognition and Near Field Communication (optional). It enables smartphone users to experience advanced services such as photo and file sharing without Internet networking, mobile payment and transport pass-card recharge.

ChatON is Samsung’s proprietary mobile communication service that works across all major mobile devices. A global cross-platform communication service links all your friends and contacts instantly. Micro-communities can be set up through group chat, while a web client allows the sharing of content and conversations between mobile and PC.

Samsung Apps, an integrated application store for Samsung smartphones, is also available. With an improved UI and enhanced store features, Samsung Apps offers a wide variety of applications from globally well-known content to locally-customized applications.

“Smartphones are gaining popularity by the day. The new additions to the Wave portfolio are the first to benefit from the power of our bada 2.0 platform; the full extent of our commitment is clear to see in each device. We’ve produced easy-to-use smartphones that will inspire the market,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications business.

Smarts meet style, the Wave 3

The Samsung Wave 3 is a beautiful and chic smartphone that crams a market-leading 4″ Super AMOLED display, a 1.4GHz processor and HSPA connectivity into a 9.9mm brushed-metal case. Building on the Wave series’ style heritage in full metal design, the Wave 3 is the perfect device for the style-conscious consumer. Excellently constructed of anodized aluminum, the slim yet solid unibody design supports your active, on-the-move lifestyle.

The Wave 3 includes Samsung’s integrated Social Hub and Music Hub, allowing the purchase and download of tracks and albums over-the-air. With smarter multi-tasking, seamless push notification and Wi-Fi Direct, the Wave 3 has the capabilities to keep you connected and entertained at all times.

The first ChatON equipped smartphone, the Wave M

The Samsung Wave M allows users to keep up-to-date with their hectic social lives with ChatON and Social Hub. With a wide 3.65″ HVGA screen made from tempered glass and a metallic body, the Wave M lets users stay socially connected from everywhere. ChatON, streamlined messaging feeds, enhanced on-the-go web browsing and Wi-Fi applications deliver a seamless mobile experience. Wi-Fi Direct and NFC (optional) add further functionality.

A smart-start, the Wave Y

The Samsung Wave Y is the perfect device to introduce new users to the world of smartphone experiences. With a stylish metallic hairline body and large 3.2″ HVGA screen, new users can take their first steps to mobile social networking with Social Hub and ChatON. Simple personalisation is enabled via the Live Panel, Lock Screen and Folder management, while Music Hub, a portable music manager, gives users a jukebox in their pocket.

The Wave 3, the Wave M and the Wave Y will all be on display at Samsung’s Stand at IFA 2011 in Berlin.

Florida-based Operating Systems Solutions has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. OSS is alleging that the Cupertino-based firm’s Mac OS X fast-boot feature infringes on one of its patents relating to a “method for quick booting an OS.” More specifically, the lawsuit says Apple infringes on:

A method for fast booting a computer system, comprising the steps of: A. performing a power on self test (POST) of basic input output system (BIOS) when the system is powered on or reset is requested; B. checking whether a boot configuration information including a system booting state which was created while executing a previous normal booting process exists or not; C. storing the boot configuration information from execution of the POST operation before loading a graphic interface (GUI) program, based on the checking result; and D. loading the graphic user interface (GUI) program.

LG Electronics was originally granted the patent in 2002 and Patently Apple said the patent was then reissued to a company named Promitus Technologies LLC in 2008. It remains unclear how Operating Systems Solutions obtained the patent, or if LG or Promitus Technologies are involved in the lawsuit in any way.

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Jumptap recently released a report that separated the 50 states by mobile operating system. It mapped out which states are prominently iOS users, which use Android the most, and which states use BlackBerry smartphones based on 83 million users on its ad network. New England and the Midwest represented the largest pockets of iOS users while Texas, California and much of the West were Android users. New York is primarily a BlackBerry state, perhaps due to the number of corporate users in New York City. Alaska was neutral and Hawaii had more iOS users than Android or BlackBerry. Jumptap collected its data from its mobile advertising network, so the data doesn’t represent sales or market share of course. Read on for more findings from the report.

Manufacturer analysis showed that Sony Ericsson devices are the only Android devices with ad performance nearing that of iOS devices. Ads running on Sony Ericsson devices in the first half of 2011 averaged a .54% click-through rate, making it the only Android manufacturer above the industry average of .52%, but still not as high as iOS devices at .78%.

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Android may be an open source operating system, but it’s not as open as other platforms according to a new research report from VisionMobile. The research firm compared Android, Eclipse, Firefox, the Linux kernel, MeeGo, Qt and Symbian and found that, of those open source environments, Android was the least “open.” According to the report’s “open governance index,” which scored each environment on how open it is, Android scored a 23%. It was far below the others; Eclipse scored the best with an 84% open governance index and no other platform scored less than a 58%, ArsTechnica said. Google’s Android compatibility chief Dan Morrill likely swayed the opinion on Android a bit when he said Google was using compatibility “as a club to make [phone maker's] do things we want,” and the report cites that quote specifically. However, VisionMobile also backs up its findings with a statement that can be read in full after the break.

Visibility to the roadmap is limited, as there is no Android roadmap publicly available. In fact, development of the Android private branch and the roadmap is controlled by Google, with little input from external parties or the Open Handset Alliance members,” the report says. “When launched, the Open Handset Alliance served the purpose of a public industry endorsement for Android. Today, however, the OHA serves little purpose besides a stamp of approval for OHA members; there is no formal legal entity, no communication processes for members nor frequent member meetings.

[Via Gizmodo]

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According to a new report from comScore, 1 in 3 Americans now own a smartphone. Google’s Android OS is ahead of the pack with a 38.1% share of the market during the 3-month period ending in May — up 5.1% from the last report in February. Apple’s iOS operating system jumped 1.4 percentage points to a 26.6% share, and RIM’s BlackBerry OS fell 4.3% to a 24.7% share of the market. Microsoft also dropped from a 7.7% share to a 4.8% share, and HP’s webOS fell from a 2.8% share to a 2.4% share in May. Manufacturer mobile subscriber market share remained relatively flat: Samsung still has a 24.8% share of the market according to comScore, followed by LG (21.1%, down 0.2 percentage points), Motorola (16.1%, down 1 percentage point), Apple (8.6%, up 1.2 percentage points), and RIM (8.1%, down 0.5 percentage points). Read on for the full release from comScore.

comScore Reports May 2011 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

Smartphones Reach Key Milestone; Now Owned by 1 in 3 Americans

RESTON, Va., July 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending May 2011. The study surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 24.8 percent market share. Google Android led among smartphone platforms with 38.1 percent market share.

OEM Market Share

For the three month average period ending in May, 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 24.8 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, followed by LG with 21.1 percent share and Motorola with 15.1 percent share. Apple strengthened its position at #4 with 8.7 percent share of mobile subscribers (up 1.2 percentage points), while RIM rounded out the top five with 8.1 percent share.

Top Mobile OEMs 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Feb-11	May-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Samsung	24.8%	24.8%	0.0
LG	20.9%	21.1%	0.2
Motorola	16.1%	15.1%	-1.0
Apple	7.5%	8.7%	1.2
RIM	8.6%	8.1%	-0.5

Smartphone Platform Market Share

76.8 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in May 2011, up 11 percent from the preceding three month period. Google Android ranked as the top operating system with 38.1 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers, up 5.1 percentage points. Apple strengthened its #2 position with 26.6 percent of the smartphone market, up 1.4 percentage points. RIM ranked third with 24.7 percent share, followed by Microsoft (5.8 percent) and Palm (2.4 percent).

Top Smartphone Platforms 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2011 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
	Feb-11	May-11	Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Google	33.0%	38.1%	5.1
Apple	25.2%	26.6%	1.4
RIM	28.9%	24.7%	-4.2
Microsoft	7.7%	5.8%	-1.9
Palm	2.8%	2.4%	-0.4

Mobile Content Usage

In May, 69.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device. Browsers were used by 39.8 percent of subscribers (up 1.5 percentage points), while downloaded applications were used by 38.6 percent (up 2.0 percentage points). Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 1.8 percentage points to 28.6 percent of mobile subscribers. Game-playing was done by 26.9 percent of the mobile audience (up 2.3 percentage points), while 18.6 percent listened to music on their phones.

Mobile Content Usage 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Feb-11	May-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Sent text message to another phone	68.8%	69.5%	0.7
Used browser	38.3%	39.8%	1.5
Used downloaded apps	36.6%	38.6%	2.0
Accessed social networking site or blog	26.8%	28.6%	1.8
Played Games	24.6%	26.9%	2.3
Listened to music on mobile phone	17.5%	18.6%	1.1

On Friday, HP’s brand new webOS-powered TouchPad tablet will make its debut in the United States. Even though HP purchased Palm for $1.2 billion last year so that it could stray away from the Windows-powered tablet market by owning webOS, the company may soon build tablets running Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system. In a recent interview with Fast Company, HP’s president and chief technology officer Phil McKinney suggested that Windows 8 tablets could be in the pipeline. “I’m limited to what I can talk about with Windows 8,” McKinney says. “We’re working very closely with [Microsoft], and I’m going to leave it at that or I’m going to start getting myself into trouble.” We could take McKinney’s statement two ways. First, HP is already a Microsoft partner on Windows 7 powered devices, so to deny Microsoft support for Windows 8 could be a blow to the Redmond-based company. Or second, HP does have a Windows 8 powered tablet in the works, but doesn’t want to start spreading rumors, especially during the launch of the company’s new flagship TouchPad device. We’ll have to wait and see what HP decides to do, but it seems like a confusing move — at least from the customer perspective — for HP to offer both operating systems on its tablet devices.

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During an interview with Bloomberg recently, HP’s CEO Leo Apokether said that his company is in talks to license its webOS software to other manufacturers. “We are talking to a number of companies,” he said.”I can share with you that a number of companies have expressed interest. We are continuing our conversations.” Apotheker said there’s no specific time frame for when another company may announce that it’s using webOS and noted that “there is no time pressure.” However, Bloomberg said that Samsung has been named as one of the potential licensees, but that information is still being kept private. “Samsung will continue to strengthen its relationship with Google to provide ultimate values to customers,” Jason Kim, a Samsung spokesperson, said — hinting at the firm’s commitment to Android.  HP’s first webOS tablet, the TouchPad, will make its debut later this week on July 1st for $499.99.

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Launching new products is always difficult. Launching new products with hundreds of different carriers is exponentially more difficult. Apparently there is an easy way and a hard way to do things, however, and RIM has been making carriers offers they can’t refuse. BGR has learned from a trusted source that RIM has been strong-arming several carriers, essentially forcing them to approve devices they normally would not move through the Technical Acceptance phase.

Here is how it works: once an OS software build (bundle) has been tested internally at RIM, and the OS performs well, it moves up to be a Technical Acceptance candidate. The OS is then sent to the carrier to test and approve, or test and reject. If a carrier rejects a build, it can take weeks to get a new build tested and approved, and it can slow down a device’s release by months — as evidenced many times with different BlackBerry products in the past.

What’s the problem, then? We have been informed by a very reliable source at a major carrier that RIM has been putting an enormous amount of pressure on carriers to approve the upcoming BlackBerry smartphones like the BlackBerry Bold 9900 — phones that have to hold RIM over until its next-generation platform launch in 2012 — and that certain carriers will be approving the devices, “no matter what — with bugs and problems.”  Additionally, RIM is putting huge pressure on its internal engineers to deliver Technical Acceptance bundles even when there are serious problems with the OS. In short, RIM is pushing unfinished OS builds from its engineers to the carriers, and demanding that the carriers approve them.

The thing is, this isn’t something new, and it’s part of the reason your BlackBerry is so buggy, reboots randomly, and there are possible signal and connection issues. There have been multiple devices, we have been told, that have been forced through the Technical Acceptance process with multiple carriers, and it’s one of the reasons some carriers launch devices sooner than others (barring any exclusivity arrangements) — some play ball but others won’t. Remember how Rogers was one of the first carriers to launch the BlackBerry Bold 9000 while AT&T didn’t launch the device until November? The device constantly failed Technical Acceptance on AT&T, but Rogers pushed the device out anyway as a result of pressure from RIM. And Rogers is most certainly not the only carrier that has found itself in that position.

Spokespeople from RIM and Rogers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An AT&T spokesperson declined to comment.

On Friday comScore released its latest mobile subscriber market share report, which suggests that both Android and iOS are increasing their U.S. market shares at the cost of RIM’s BlackBerry OS. ComScore surveyed 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers during a three month period ending in April 2011 and found that Android’s U.S. market share jumped 5.2 percentage points to a 34.6% grip of the industry. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS market share grew a marginal 1.3 percentage points to a 26% share. RIM’s BlackBerry OS share fell from 30.4% in January to 25.7%. Samsung remains the most popular mobile phone manufacturer with a 24.5% share of the market and is followed by LG (20.9%), Motorola (15.6%), Apple (8.3%), and RIM (8.2%). Hit the jump for the full release from comScore.

comScore Reports April 2011 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

RESTON, Va., June 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending April 2011. The study surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 24.5 percent market share. Google Android led among smartphone platforms with 36.4 percent market share.

OEM Market Share

For the three month average period ending in April, 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, followed by LG with 20.9 percent share and Motorola with 15.6 percent share. Apple jumped to the #4 position with 8.3 percent share of mobile subscribers (up 1.3 percentage points), while RIM rounded out the top five with 8.2 percent share.

Top Mobile OEMs 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Jan. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Jan-11	Apr-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Samsung	24.9%	24.5%	-0.4
LG	20.8%	20.9%	0.1
Motorola	16.5%	15.6%	-0.9
Apple	7.0%	8.3%	1.3
RIM	8.6%	8.2%	-0.4

Smartphone Platform Market Share

74.6 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in April 2011, up 13 percent from the three-month period ending in January 2011. Google Android ranked as the top operating system with 36.4 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers, up 5.2 percentage points. Apple also gained share, capturing the #2 position with 26.0 percent of the smartphone market. RIM ranked third with 25.7 percent share, followed by Microsoft (6.7 percent) and Palm (2.6 percent).

Top Smartphone Platforms 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Jan. 2011 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
	Jan-11	Apr-11	Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Google	31.2%	36.4%	5.2
Apple	24.7%	26.0%	1.3
RIM	30.4%	25.7%	-4.7
Microsoft	8.0%	6.7%	-1.3
Palm	3.2%	2.6%	-0.6

Mobile Content Usage

In April, 68.8 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device. Browsers were used by 39.1 percent of subscribers (up 2.1 percentage points), while downloaded applications were used by 37.8 percent (up 2.4 percentage points). Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 2.7 percentage points, representing 28.0 percent of mobile subscribers. Playing games comprised 26.2 percent of the mobile audience (up 2.5 percentage points), while listening to music represented 18.0 percent.

Mobile Content Usage 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Jan. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Jan-11	Apr-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Sent text message to another phone	68.1%	68.8%	0.7
Used browser	37.0%	39.1%	2.1
Used downloaded apps	35.4%	37.8%	2.4
Accessed social networking site or blog	25.3%	28.0%	2.7
Played Games	23.7%	26.2%	2.5
Listened to music on mobile phone	16.5%	18.0%	1.5

During the D9 conference in California, Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky began showing off Redmond’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system, fully optimized for tablets. According to AllThingsD, which got an early peak at the OS, Microsoft’s ultimate goal was to create an OS that could run on a home computer just as well as it could run on a portable 8-inch tablet. The new start screen, pictured above, shows a tile-based interface that’s strikingly similar to Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system and makes use of the company’s Metro UI. Windows 8 includes Internet Explorer 10, and can run applications that are designed for desktop use, as well as HTML 5 and Java applications that will run better on tablet-sized devices that may provide less power. Sinofsky told AllThingsD that Windows 8 will deliver a new business model for developers, an app distribution mechanism — assumed to be a storefront — and a touch interface. Microsoft reportedly started working on the operating system when it shipped Windows Phone 7. “We really did take a step back after Windows 7,” Sinofsky told AllThingsD. “We were clearly influenced ourselves by phones.” The current demo products run on devices with Intel processors, although Microsoft reportedly also has devices powered by ARM processors, too. There’s still no word on when we’ll see the first Windows 8 devices hit the market, but we’re definitely excited with what we’re seeing so far.

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