MIX 2010 delivers fresh WP7s news: Windows Phone Marketplace, Silverlight 4 RC and more
3/16/2010 12:26:00 AM
kenmouse
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Today marks the kick-off point for MIX 2010, Microsoft’s annual developer conference, and while usually we’d leave it to the programmers this year promises more information about Windows Phone 7 series. Microsoft deferred pretty much all questions about hardware and software technicalities from MWC 2010 last month to this week’s event, but with it already confirmed that WP7s will break software ties with Windows Mobile 6.5 and earlier, developers are understandably keen to find out exactly what’s involved getting up to speed with the new platform. Among the announcements today are the launch of the Silverlight 4 Release Candidate and the debut of Windows Phone Marketplace, the successor to Windows Marketplace for Mobile.
Like Marketplace for Mobile, Windows Phone Marketplace will offer developers from thirty countries a single on-device way to distribute their titles. The revenue share rate is set at 70-percent – in the devs’ favor – and is accompanied by the Marketplace Hub on Windows Phone 7 series devices themselves.
One of the side-effects of a big name launch such as the iPad’s on Friday is that it brings all the analysts out to make their sales predictions. We’ve already heard one guesstimate – 120,000 units on the first day alone – and now there’s more speculation from would-be analyst Daniel Tello who has been crunching unofficial Investor Village figures. He reckons Apple’s 25,000-per-hour sales maelstrom on Friday then tailed off to “just” 1,000-per-hour over Saturday and Sunday, culminating in 152,000 pre-orders by midnight Sunday.
Filmmaker James Cameron has confirmed he will bring Titanic back to the big screen in 3D. 
With several Windows Mobile devices named in Apple’s patent suit against HTC, you’d be forgiven for expecting Microsoft to have a few words of quiet support for their hardware partners. However it seems Microsoft are quite looking forward to a general battle; speaking at an IP convention last week, Brad Smith, the company’s general counsel and senior vice president told amassed lawyers that ”the fact that there’s litigation in this area is not necessarily a bad thing.”
Singer Rain has certainly done well for himself since his debut. He started his own company at J.Tune Entertainment, landed a major Hollywood blockbuster role in Ninja Assassin and created popular boy band MBLAQ. 
Hannah Montana stars Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus know how to plan a sneak attack: After inviting dozens of military families to fill the studio audience during the March 12 taping of the hit series, they surprised the audience by inviting them to take part in filming a concert scene for the show. 
