It's not a proper Microsoft press conference if Steve Ballmer doesn't show up.
And, let's face it, these days a Nokia press conference is a Microsoft press conference in drag.
So it was that Nokia's announcement of updates to its Lumia range - the impressive 920 and the more mass market 820 - was bookended with the appearance of Microsoft's CEO.
Talking about Windows 8 strategy, he remains bullish how Microsoft's weight in the traditional PC will transfer to tablets and phones; something that Windows Phone 7 did not accomplish.
"I bet the next app developer to hit it big will be on Windows 8," Ballmer stated, pointing to what he expects to be its impact in terms of the app ecosystem.
Long march
But Windows Phone remains in a long distant third place behind iOS and Android in terms of user numbers at present.
Nokia and Microsoft are looking to kickstart developer support with a range of competitions and paid-for porting and marketing deals.
In that context, also announced at the press conference was a nine month exclusive deal for The World of Red Bull app, and three month exclusive deals for the Angry Birds Roost hub app and the new Bloomberg hub app.
"The ecosystem has achieved exponential growth over the past 18 months, and Nokia has been working closely with developers to create unique and innovative apps," said Marco Argenti, SVP, Nokia Developer Experience.
"With new opportunities to innovate around features such as PureView camera technology, NFC and the integration of Nokia Maps, we look forward to developers creating their next generation app experiences, and partnering with Nokia to achieve success locally and globally."
News
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
Related Articles
News
Jun 9th, 2024
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Week in Mobile Games E15 - Star Wars: Hunters finally launches, the West's MOBA problem, and Xbox handheld rumours
Top Stories
News
3 hours, 24 minutes ago
Red Games Co's Brian Lovell on their Apple Design Award Win: “Inclusivity was a focus from the beginning"
News
12 hours, 46 minutes ago
App Store developers can start nominating their games for featuring later this year
Feature
2 hours, 8 minutes ago
Mobile Mavens: Are today's everlasting, live ops games holding back new innovation?
Feature
3 hours, 36 minutes ago
The key takeaway from Apple's AI-laden WWDC keynote? It's time to buy a new iPhone
Events
Tribeca Games Festival 2024 | North America | Jun 5th |
Steam Next Fest: June 2024 Edition | Jun 10th | |
WN Conference Istanbul 2024 | Jun 11th | |
GamesForum Hamburg 2024 | Europe | Jun 11th |
ESI London 2024 | Europe | Jun 13th |
Game Con Canada (GCC) 2024 | North America | Jun 14th |
Indie Dev Play 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
Popular Stories
Interview
Jun 5th, 2024
A galaxy far, far away… Why Star Wars: Hunters took six years to hit the target
as
Feature
Jun 3rd, 2024