Microsoft's
First you get the developers, then you get the apps
A new survey of 2,160 developers by Appcelerator and IDC found that the number of respondents who reported being very interested in developing for Windows Phone rose 8 percentage points year over year to 38%. The increase makes Mango the third most popular OS among developers, replacing Research In Motion's
The survey also found that a plurality -- 48% -- of developers cited Microsoft's partnership with Nokia
It's worth noting that Apple
Lumia lights up
On the more concrete front, Nokia has reported that pre-orders in the U.K. for its first Windows Phone, the Lumia 800, have been greater than any other Nokia smartphone to date. Some of the excitement might be related to the discounts and bonuses U.K. retailers are offering to draw attention to the phone. For example, U.K. wireless provider Orange is offering customers a free Xbox 360. You could probably argue that this is cheating just a little, but given Android and the iPhone's dominance, Microsoft needs to leverage every advantage it can.
The question remains whether the Lumia 800 will make the same grand entrance in the U.S. when it launches sometime next year. Microsoft has already begun its marketing push for Windows Phone, while AT&T
Foolish takeaway
As I sad at the beginning, these are both rather small victories for Windows Phone, but they indicate that the OS is starting to move in the right direction -- albeit very slowly. Now Microsoft needs to continue to market the operating system aggressively and keep the momentum building.
If you would like to keep an eye on Windows Phone's struggle to gain market share, consider adding Microsoft and Nokia to your free watchlist.