We cover a plethora of brands, including Apple, HTC, Nokia, Palm and Blackberry, and operating systems, such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7, so you should find something that piques your interest here.
In short, if you're seeking a new mobile phone, this is a great place to start.
HTC Wildfire S

The first Wildfire from HTC spread almost like its moniker, so popular did its blend of HTC Sense, durable form factor and affordable pricing prove. Now that it's burnt out, however, it needs a successor to carry the torch. Rising from the ashes is the Wildfire S.
The handset carries on the legacy well enough, with an impressively solid chassis, great social features and responsive touchscreen. The market's changed since the first Wildfire blazed its trail into history, though. With dual-core 'superphones' to contend with, it's hard to consider a 600Mhz processor hot stuff.
And while HTC's Sense interface proves as compelling as ever, the lack of grunt means missing out on Flash support for iPlayer and the like.
All that wouldn't matter if the Wildfire S only required liberating a token sum from your account, but you'll need a fair few sheets burning a hole in your pocket (around £220 SIM-free, or £15 a month) to lay claim to this little fella.
In the highly competitive market of 2011, that makes the Wildfire S a tricky proposition. Beginners will be well-served by the Wildfire S's rounded package, but you can certainly get a lot more for not much extra cash.
Samsung Galaxy S2

It's rare that a direct sequel to something awesome – be it film, game or hardware – is anything other than a disappointment when it comes to a new phone.
Rarer still is when the second instalment surpasses the original. We can think of just a scant handful of cases off the top of our heads: The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2 and Left 4 Dead 2.
Well, add the Galaxy S2 to that list, because this phone is awesome.
Thin, light and with an amazingly clear 4.3-inch Super AMOLED plus screen behind its toughened Gorilla Glass front panel, this is one handset you won't be pocketing in shame when your mates pass by.
In fact, we suspect you'll be evangelising about it to anyone who'll listen. That's because the dual-core processor within its tiny shell isn't just a marketing bullet point, but rather powers an experience that we're nothing short of effervescent about. For instance, web browsing is blisteringly fast and the Galaxy S2's Flash support is second to none.
We're thrilled to say that the plus points are just too numerous to do justice of here. Check out the full review to find out why this is one of the best smartphones we're likely to see in 2011.
HTC ChaCha

If you're aged 14-21 and are after a fun mobile rather than a black slab of raw processing power, we reckon you'll find it hard not to like (or +1, if you prefer) the new 'Facebook phone'.
As the nickname suggests, Mark Zuckerberg's blue-hued brand of social media is at the heart of the experience – HTC even going as far as to give the site its own dedicated button beneath the ChaCha's decent QWERTY keyboard.
Break through the wall of modified HTC Sense and you'll note that Android Gingerbread is powering the experience, which should be welcome for the tech-savvy target audience. Less warmly received will be the Flash integration, which is a bit iffy to say the least.
With a funny shape and small screen to boot, you're really going to have to want the ChaCha's style of social oh la la to buy into this. Still, if you do, then this is something to post home about.
HTC Sensation XE

This phone is so brand spanking new that it was announced just a day before we first held it in our palms. It adheres to the sensational HTC Sensation's template, but with the addition of ear-pleasing Beats Audio processing and a few spec upgrades.
You needn't be an audiophile to enjoy the new profile, but you will need a set of Beats Audio headphones.
Thankfully, a pair come with the device. In our tests so far, we've noticed a real difference, with the tinny edge of HTC's sound enhancer diminished, the crispness of sounds augmented and the only potential grounds for minor quibbles being the ear canal-shaking levels of bass.
The good news continues elsewhere, with a 1730mAh battery that should have more staying power than the original Sensation, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor to keep the experience smooth and an eye-pleasing design.
Treat your senses and check out the full review when it lands.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

Could Sony Ericsson finally be about to deliver on the promise of, well, every smartphone it's ever made that wasn't quite good enough? Maybe it was stupid to hope, but we did anyway with this new mobile phone.
An attractive design with a curved back that's just 8.7mm thick in the middle? Check. Impressive new Exmor camera technology? Check. Good spec list, including HDMI output? Check. Superb video player? Check.
The hardware is extremely impressive, both in terms of looks and performance. Forget the fashionable dual-core phones – when done right, a single-core 1GHz processor can do it all, although busy, dynamic websites will cause the phone to chug a little.
As it is, we're prepared to overlook the Xperia Arc's few minor flaws (small buttons, odd text entry) thanks to its stunning good looks, superb screen and very decent photo performance. You can't help but love it once you've held its magically thin body and gazed adoringly into its dazzling Reality Display.


HTC Desire S

Though the HTC Desire's technology is now being surpassed, it's aged beautifully thanks to some timely price drops. However, all things must come to an end (or at least be supplanted by something new). The HTC Desire S has arrived to take over from its predecessor in the Android race.
In many ways, it's quite similar. We'll still be looking at a 3.7-inch 480 x 800 screen, Android overlaid with HTC's Sense UI and a 1GHz processor. However, HTC hasn't totally rested on its laurels with its new mobile phones.
The design and build of the handset is excellent, save for a slight Wi-Fi cutting-out issue. The camera is good quality, producing serviceable still and HD video that would be quite good if it weren't for a small stuttering issue.
Call quality was excellent, with voices coming through crisp and clear, and it's a shame how little we get to say that about handsets these days.
The browsing experience was generally strong, with the speed that web pages load still impressing us, and Flash is taking yet more steps forward in its 10.2 guise. It was still finicky at times, but when it did work, it was fairly smooth, which is more than we could say for many Flash 10.1 single-core phones.
However, the reason the Desire has kept up with everything that's come after is because it was so far ahead in the first place. The Desire S isn't. It's a great phone, and one we would wholeheartedly recommend in a vacuum.
The HTC Desire led the revolution, but the Desire S could be just another member of the rabble.
BlackBerry Bold 9900

While RIM has a great reputation for push email and corporate handsets, it's not known for being an innovator. For this reason, the Blackberry Bold 9900 is an intriguing proposition, packing some higher-end tech into a rather attractive shell.
The capacitive (and high resolution) touchscreen screen is a particular marvel, but the inclusion of a near-field communications chip and the brand new OS 7 show that the Bold 9900 was made to break new ground for RIM.
The result is impressive, but only if you're happy to operate within the boundaries of BlackBerry's traditional strengths. Those looking for an outstanding web browsing or media experience will still find themselves disappointed. Still, head over to the review to find out more about what our review dubbed the best BlackBerry to date.

HTC Sensation

The HTC Sensation is meant to be the new alpha smartphone from the Taiwanese firm, and it certainly lives up to expectations.
With a 1.2GHz dual core processor from Qualcomm and a whopping 4.3-inch high-res qHD screen, this is the phone with best specs yet from HTC, plus it's the first smartphone with the new HTC Watch movie download service.
Is it better than the Samsung Galaxy S2? We think it's just a shade behind thanks to a slightly larger chassis and less advanced screen technology, but that's going to be a debate that rumbles on and on.
HTC Incredible S

Incredible by name and only slightly less so by nature, this phone is HTC's entry into the underpopulated 4-inch touchscreen arena. In fact, it's among the first UK handsets to fill that niche, but more are on the horizon.
It's blessed with HTC's slick Sense UI and a high-quality screen, but is this latest mobile phone's foibles enough to warrant waiting for its incoming competitors,
Samsung Galaxy Ace

With a middle-of-the-range spec, 800MHz processor and iPhone-aping looks, it may be hard to see why it's worth buying into the new Galaxy Ace. However, its Android 2.2 (Froyo) OS makes a considerable difference and is, in fact, this phone's ace (yes! We said it) in the hole.
It won't cost you the Earth either, so look deeper and you may find just what you were looking for.
BlackBerry Torch 9810

This update of the Torch 9800, the first touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry, is mighty similar to its predecessor at first glance. But fire up the 3.2-inch touchscreen and you'll start to notice the difference, with a VGA 640 x 480 resolution making the whole experience far crisper.
The processor is fast, the battery life is good, and contacts and messaging are fantastic, but we do have a few gripes. This, folks, is an incremental upgrade and one that struggles to find its niche in BlackBerry's pantheon.
There are RIM handsets that are more focused on the demographics that this phone lightly touches, and those who already own a Torch 9800 may well be still locked into a contract, so there'll be little chance to upgrade.
It's by no means a bad handset, though, so it's well worth a look alongside phones such as the Bold 9900 or Curve as a point of comparison.
BlackBerry Torch 9810 review • BlackBerry Torch 9810 deals
LG Optimus 3D

It's big, it's weighty and it's pretty darn expensive, but that pair of characters tacked on the end of the LG Optimus 3D's name might justify all that and more for you. For this, ladies and gents, is a technological milestone: the first 'glasses-free' 3D phone.
The good news is that the effect works brilliantly and that all-important screen is complemented by some great Android customisations on the software side.
Web performance is stellar too.The bad news is that even for a dual-core, the Optimus 3D can feel sluggish, the battery life is poor and – oddly for a phone sold on the back of cutting-edge tech – it's 'only' running Android 2.2.
If you're undecided about joining the 3D revolution, then head on over to the review to find out more.
LG Optimus 3D review • LG Optimus 3D deals
Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini

Mini by name and by nature, this is a refresh of the concept behind Sony Ericsson's X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro, the pint-sized and ultraportable handsets launched in mid-2010.
It packs a new 1GHz processor, and a bigger 3-inch screen with the Bravia Engine Reality Display tech used in the Xperia Arc (read: you get a 320x480 resolution touchscreen that's a bit brighter at times).
The user interface has received an overhaul too, so on paper the new Xperia Mini looks like a big leap forward for the tiny form factor.
And so it proves to be, offering a very usable – dare we say, pretty – interface that makes the small screen totally workable. Social media integration is great too.
The story's not perfect, though, with less-than-brilliant video codec support and a weak camera offering. The titchy screen won't suit gamers either, but those after a great little phone that won't keep their hands full with glitches and faffing about could be in for a treat.

That goes for President Barack Obama, too, said the 64-year-old farmer of soybeans, corn and wheat. Johnson, a Republican, said Newt Gingrich is the only candidate making any sense heading into the state’s primary this weekend.

“Most of them are living in a make-believe world. People have to work for a paycheck every day, every week — they don’t understand that, they don’t feel the pain,” Johnson said. “Newt is probably the smartest. He can go toe-to-toe with Obama as far as explaining the issues.”

Millions of Americans remain underemployed and unemployed following a recession that widened economic divides in the U.S. Hoping to win support, Romney and Santorum are both touting the American dream of economic mobility, while criticizing Obama for, they claim, encouraging class warfare.

Both of the leading remaining Republican candidates support cutting taxes and regulations, aiming to woo constituents who want to do better for themselves and their kids, and are worried that government spending and rules are out of control. While the conservative candidates don’t overtly raise the issue of income equality in the same way Obama does, the Republicans in their policies and rhetoric aim to appeal to voters with those concerns.

“In just about every speech they give examples of small businesses trying to do something and being blocked by government regulations,” said Lawrence Jacobs, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota. “The Republicans are not whistling Dixie here – they are sinking their teeth into very public angst about government being too large.”

After winning the Illinois Republican primary on Tuesday, Romney spoke about the American dream, opportunity and economic freedom.

“Economic freedom is the only force that has consistently succeeded in lifting people out of poverty,” Romney said. “But today, Americans who want to start a new business or launch a new venture don’t see promise and opportunity. They see government standing in their way.”

To strengthen the economy, Romney has said that if elected he would work on free-trade agreements, move to cut certain Obama-administration regulations, and order a sanction on China for unfair-trade practices, among other actions. Regarding Social Security, he has suggested raising the eligibility age as an option.

Looking longer term, his economic plan also supports lower tax rates on a broader base “so that taxation becomes an instrument for promoting economic growth.” Romney also supports cutting corporate tax rates.

Meanwhile, Santorum has said he would toss Obama administration regulations with an economic burden of more than $100 million, negotiate free-trade agreements, and cut means-tested entitlement programs by 10%, among other actions. He would also lower personal income and corporate tax rates.

The country needs “a renewed focus on creating opportunity,” Santorum wrote in a January South Carolina newspaper column.

“No longer should it be harder for people to succeed economically than it was for their parents. No longer should upward mobility be better in parts of Europe than in America,” Santorum wrote. “I don’t believe that poverty is a permanent condition. How do we effectively address poverty in rural and urban America? We promote jobs, marriage, quality education and access to capital and embrace the supports of civil society.”

In a speech in Detroit, however, Santorum made pains to stress he wasn’t for equal results.

“There is income inequality in America, there always has been, and hopefully, and I do say that, there always will be. Why? Because people rise to different levels of success based on what they contribute to society and to the marketplace, and that’s as it should be.”

BROOKLYN, NY, Mar 27, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Pontiflex, Inc., the industry's leading mobile signup ad platform, today announced the launch of AdLeads, a new self-service platform that will enable any business to run mobile signup ad campaigns. With AdLeads, businesses can run geo-targeted mobile signup advertising campaigns on iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Signup ads differ from existing ad models because they allow businesses to pay only when people sign up for their ad -- not for wasted clicks or impressions. Businesses can find all the necessary tools to launch and manage mobile advertising campaigns at www.adleads.com .

Since the beta launch of AdLeads, more than 300 businesses and agencies of all sizes have adopted the platform to run in-app mobile advertising campaigns and find new customers. These companies include Allurez, Sickweather, One Click Ventures, The DUMBO Improvement District, Paper Hat Press and Nita Nita, among many others.

Just as they would for a search advertising campaign, in minutes, businesses and agencies can create an account, specify geo-targeting, create ad groups, design creative and launch mobile signup advertising campaigns using the AdLeads platform. But instead of paying every time someone clicks on their ad, now businesses only pay when someone signs up and shares their contact information.

Given that a large number of clicks on mobile app advertisements are accidental (a 2010 Harris Interactive survey estimated that this number was 47 percent), businesses have struggled to get returns on mobile advertising. With AdLeads, businesses pay only for actual signups. They now have a simple advertising solution to get returns on every ad dollar they spend and make mobile advertising work for them.

"Pontiflex has methodically designed and scaled the AdLeads program to cater to the needs of any business by providing a simple self-serve tool that is easy and affordable to use," said Zephrin Lasker, CEO and Co-founder, Pontiflex. "AdLeads combines the cutting-edge technology of mobile phones and tablets with the efficiency of a performance-pricing model. This is a natural and powerful combination for businesses that want to find new customers."

Mobile signup ads enable people to sign up to hear from the businesses they like without leaving the app they are using. They connect to their favorite businesses by sharing their name, email address, social networking handle or phone number. Through AdLeads, businesses are able to choose the information they want to collect from their potential customers, and all data is collected on a 100 percent opt-in basis. AdLeads also allows businesses to follow up with people who have signed up to hear from them with a thank you email that is sent in real time. They can keep consumers and prospects engaged with their business after the first interaction by remarketing to them by email, phone and social channels.

For example, One Click Ventures, a network of e-commerce brands in the discount fashion and travel spaces, is using AdLeads and seeing great success.

"We've already broken even with the amount of sales we have generated in two days," said Alessandra Souers, Director of Email Marketing, One Click Ventures.

Social health startup Sickweather is using AdLeads to add new users, while children's book publisher Paper Hat Press is using AdLeads to increase its number of Facebook fans.

"With AdLeads, Paper Hat Press was able to acquire over 13,000 new leads in less than three weeks," said Manish Naik, CEO, Paper Hat Press. "There's no better way that we've found to advertise on smartphones and tablets and get new customers than with AdLeads."

Nita Nita, a popular restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, is another small business using AdLeads to connect with patrons. The company follows up with people who have opted in via AdLeads to receive messages from them with emails that drive traffic to their Facebook and Twitter pages. Nita Nita sends friends, followers and fans invitations and special announcements once they become part of its social community.

"Being able to reach people in the area while they're out on the town or making plans for the night really helps promote specials and our events," said Sam DiStefano, Owner, Nita Nita. "Now we also can invite them to be part of our social community through AdLeads."

AdLeads offers the following features:

--  Geo-targeting: reach people in their neighborhood, state, country or
            around the world
        
        
        --  Ad creation and preview tools: easily build and format ads for
            iPhones, iPads, Android phones and Android tablets
        
        
        --  Signup fields: specify the data to be collected, including: first
            name, last name, email address, social media handle and phone number,
            among others
        
        
        --  Web-based reporting: access online reporting tools that deliver
            real-time feedback on the performance of the campaign
        
        
        --  International capabilities: activate the native language of a mobile
            device and it will automatically display ads in that language;
            businesses around the world will be able to show ads to consumers in a
            way that is relevant and meaningful to them
        
        
        
        

Pontiflex's global scale across mobile apps delivers massive reach to users around the world. Pontiflex powered apps currently display more than one billion impressions each month and Pontiflex's overall app traffic continues to increase every month. Based on an extensively field-tested ad optimization algorithm and patent-pending technology, the AdLeads platform is designed to match the right ad to the right user on the right app. The AdLeads program provides affordable access to the exploding mobile ad market with cost per signups ranging anywhere from 50 cents to $15 per signup, depending on the geo-targeting selected and the number of fields chosen. Every day, over 150,000 people signup via the Pontiflex AdLeads platform.

AdLeads comes to market at a time when many small businesses are adopting mobile advertising in greater numbers. A recent survey conducted by Manta found that 69 percent of survey respondents said that it is important or very important that their small business be found on mobile devices. In addition, a survey by Borrell Associates found that four out of every five SMB owners plan to spend money on mobile marketing, and that on average these business owners plan to devote more than 20 percent of their budgets to mobile advertising.

"Small and medium-sized businesses know that their customers and prospects are increasingly on mobile devices, but they had no way to run effective mobile advertising campaigns until now," said Zephrin Lasker, CEO and Co-founder, Pontiflex. "Today, with AdLeads, they can. We're happy to help business owners of all sizes connect to people on their mobile devices, whether they're in the same zip code or on the other side of the world."

About Pontiflex Pontiflex powers a new kind of mobile advertising platform: Signup Ads.

Signup Ads are a simple and 100% opt-in way for people to hear more from brands they like. People can sign up without leaving the mobile app or website they're on, and advertisers pay only for valid signups and app installations.

Whether it's moms who join Kimberly-Clark's HUGGIES loyalty program, pet lovers who want to help animals with the ASPCA, or people who want personalized books from small businesses like Paper Hat Press, millions of people use Signup Ads every day to connect with their favorite brands and organizations on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Despite of the strong competition from enterprise app store of BlackBerry, Android, Windows, etc, Apple's App store held its own. The major contributing factor towards its success is the ease and support it provides to the kit (SDK) has a variety of useful features which facilitate iPhone application development. It has innovative programs that make development easy and open and allows third party app development. Apple app store simplifies the sale and distribution of applications and marketing an app via the apple store is a breeze. The existence of more than 300.000 apps in the app store is proof of its brilliance.

A revolution in the smartphone industry, iPhone is not just a consumer entertainment gadget but is fast emerging as a necessary business tool as well. Businesses across the globe are investing in mobile application development anyways but are also laying special importance on iPhone application development. Apple enterprise app store has a number of user-friendly business applications which can be easily downloaded from the app.

Besides this, customized apps that target specific needs are also being developed by app development companies globally. As companies are fast adopting smartphone devices to make employees more mobile and streamline work, customized mobile application development is on its way to become a an absolute necessity.

Its third party application development makes promotion and marketing of a business easy since apps can be created according to particular requirements. With the development of customized apps, a large customer-base can be reached out to and that too economically. Three different types of applications for iPod, iPad and iPhone touch can be developed utilizing the same version of SDK. Universal applications can also be created which are capable of running on every iPhone OS devices. The universal app can optimize itself automatically according to the device it is running on giving absolute flexibility to the developers.

Having an iPhone app gives the companies a better competitive advantage enabling them to keep the consumers updated through innovative applications. The iPhone applications have to be developed in a way that they are useful, entertaining and also in tandem with the company objectives. Once your app is available for download on the app, your business is exposed to millions of users which you can easily leverage to promote your business.

Mobile application development is gaining importance as brands are realizing the importance of mobile advertising. The arrival of devices such as iPhone has completely changed the usage of mobile devices for a consumer. More is less as the spectrum of consumers using a smartphone device has increased and hence the scope of mobile marketing is immense.

Source: EzineArticles

Customers Expectation: First of all It is necessary to think about your clients expectations that what they want to have, and which type of mobile applications they prefer…
Market Research: To know about mobile market it means in the market at present which type of mobile applications are demanded by users its very important thing to know about user interest for making user friendly mobile applications. Actually it is not possible to go on each and every user and ask them about their expectations so we can get idea from market research about customer interest.
Basic Concept: It is also necessary to have basic concept about mobile applications and also the ways and resources by which clients can get more advantages form services Provider Company and company can get more advantages from its clients.
Functionality Analysis: Foremost steps are to analyze and identify the functional requirements of mobile applications and also the quality of software which has been used for making mobile applications. Mobile applications must be comfortable, easy and user-friendly. Some time it seems that some of the mobile applications takes to time to load and only high qualify people can use it and its very hard to run by ordinary people.
Competitor Analysis: Competitors analysis is an important part of the strategic planning process. Some of business owner think that it is better to go on with their own plans and they ignore the competitions. Competitions always provide motivations in creating new way of development and it become very helpful to produce an effective mobile application development.
While choosing any mobile application development company be careful!!. And just think about service provider company and also make sure about their proficiency and experience for related fields. And also make sure that they have highly skilled and experts mobile apps developer who serves the best application development services. And also be ensure about their work by their portfolio and past achievements. When choosing any mobile apps development company it is very important to know either they provide the services or not as you aspect from them so you can provide your customers the best services as their need….
Today, everyone knows that this is the booming age for mobile application development market. This has caught an importance of every mobile and technology lover recently and its demand in the market has grown very rapidly. Due to the vast and fast usage of mobile devices, businesses and organizations are taking interest for investing in this market.
Previously, companies were hiring industry professionals and software engineers for research and development for software, marketing, etc. As more and more smart phone devices and tablet computers are coming in the market, the requirements for developing applications also increasing. This is the complete and dynamic platform in third party mobile software development companies.
This has given support to the companies to make an implementation on their creative ideas to put them into existence. Various mobile operating systems platforms are available in the industry, and competition between the web development services provider companies are growing. So, it ultimately benefits the consumers. Mobile development experts are providing complete, professional and amazing mobile programming and application solutions to their clients over the world.
Several platforms for mobile application development:
 

Nokia has filed a patent covering magnetically induced vibrating particles to be embedded in clothing or, more interestingly, under the skin in the form of a tattoo.
The idea behind US Patent Application number 20120062371, spotted by Unwired View, is to use an induction coil on the phone to excite the vibrating particles, which would be embedded into a piece of fabric next to the skin (not necessarily in the pants) or even placed just under the skin in the form of a tattoo.
As the vibrating assembly is nothing more than a collection of particles, it can be mixed in with normal tattoo ink, and then be used to deliver vibrational messages as complex as the user is capable of understanding.
Magnetic communications isn't that unlikely – back in the early days of Bluetooth a genuine competitor was near-field magnetic induction, which uses variations in magnetism to transmit an audio signal (your correspondent tested an induction headset while employed by O2, and found the technology comparable to Bluetooth for headsets if nothing else), but Nokia's plan doesn't involve a receiving circuit so is just dependent on the ability of the transmitting coil.
Some tattoo ink already contains metal, particularly the red stuff, and in enough quantities to worry those operating MRI scanners (which use unreasonably large magnets). Where the tattoo forms a discernible loop there have been recorded cases of minor burns, though nothing serious enough to prevent a scan.
One imagines that Nokia's envisioned tattoo would be increase that risk considerably, and while most of us go through our lives without having a MRI, it's not something one should bet on.
Magnets are better painted onto nails than embedded under the skin (20 seconds into the video below), but sign us up for a pair of vibrating pants when Nokia gets round to making them, just for testing, of course. ®

The initial rollout will include devices running  chips, making good on Microsoft’s promise to support both standards, said the people, who declined to be named because the plans are confidential. In embracing ARM technology, Microsoft is using the same kind of processors as Apple Inc.’s iPad. Still, there will be fewer than five ARM devices in the debut, compared with more than 40 Intel machines.
The timing would let Microsoft target Christmas shoppers with the new software, which works with touch-screen devices as well as laptops and desktop PCs. The Redmond, Washington-based company, which hasn’t announced timing for the Windows 8 release, aims to take back sales lost to the iPad and reinvigorate the sluggish PC market. Apple (AAPL) released the third version of the iPad this month, posing an even stiffer challenge to Microsoft.
“If they miss the September-October time frame, they’re going to be stuck without being able to ship anything in 2012,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Stamford, Connecticut- based Gartner Inc. “The last thing Microsoft wants to have is a situation where there are no compelling Windows tablets at a time when the new iPad looks like it’s going to be a good seller for the holidays.”

April Event

The launch of Windows 8 and the “excitement” generated by ultrabooks and other ultra-thin notebooks should drive sales of personal computers in the second half of next year, after “only modest shipment growth” in the first six months, IDC Corp. said in a statement today. IDC expects 2012 PC growth to be 5 percent after an 1.8 percent gain last year.
Microsoft will host an event for its industry partners in early April, the people said. The company will spell out its release strategy for Windows 8, giving more details on timing and marketing, they said.
There will be fewer ARM-based devices in the rollout because Microsoft has tightly controlled the number and set rigorous quality-control standards, said one of the people. The new version of Windows will be the first to use ARM processors, which are most commonly found in smartphones. Windows 7, the current version, only works with Intel’s technology. Three of the Windows 8 ARM devices will be tablets, the people said.

Texas Instruments, Qualcomm

the three chip companies that are supplying ARM-based processors to the makers of the new computers, referred questions on the availability of devices to Microsoft.
More than 103 million tablet devices will be sold in 2012, with sales rising to 326.3 million in 2015, according to Gartner. For now, Apple remains dominant, accounting for two- thirds of the market in 2012, Gartner estimates. The company’s share will drop to 46 percent by 2015, while Microsoft’s percentage will climb to 11 percent.
Getting Windows 8 ready for Intel processors is the easier part -- Windows has always run on Intel chips. The full version of Windows has never run on ARM products, meanwhile, so that process is taking longer. When Microsoft released a test version of Windows 8 for developers in September, the software only ran on Intel technology.
Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows business, has said repeatedly that Microsoft plans to have both ARM and Intel- based systems available when Windows 8 is released.
“Our collective goal is for them to ship at the same time,” he said in an interview last month. “I wouldn’t be saying it’s a goal if I didn’t think we could do it.”
Microsoft fell 1.2 percent to $31.83 at 9:46 a.m. New York time. The shares had risen 24 percent this year before today.