According to Michel van der Bel, COO of the Greater China region at Microsoft, sales of Windows Phones have accounted for 7% in China's smartphone segment recently, compared to a 6% share for Apple's iPhones.<p>

The strong sales enjoyed by Lumia phones at present are typical short-term results for the newly launched model, and it remains to be seen whether the sales momentum will continue, commented industry sources.<p>

Given that sales of iPhones totaled over five million units in China in the first quarter of 2012, it would be difficult for Windows Phone models to yield the same results in a quarter, the sources commented.

When Microsoft announced at the launch of Windows Phone Tango handsets in China that passing the iPhone in China was just an interim goal on the way to overtaking Android, it did seem rather grandiose.<p>

It seems Microsoft was right however, with Michel van der Bel, COO Greater China Region at Microsoft saying that a mere 2 months after the launch Windows Phone 7 handsets already had a 7% market share in China, ahead of the 6% of the iPhone there.

LG is not, as rumoured, ditching Windows Phone 7 in favour of Android it seems with the electronics giant confirming as much to Pocket-lint.</p><p>

"None of it is true. Korea Herald is showing its speculative side again," a spokesman for the company in Korea exclusively told Pocket-lint before adding, "We are still on board with Windows Phone, but right now, we're focusing on Android because that's where the demand is."

Microsoft just released the first version of Skype app in Windows Phone Marketplace last night. While most of us will be enjoying the app, the upcoming Windows Phone Tango devices with 256MB RAM such as Nokia Lumia 610 won’t have access to this most wanted app. In the release notes by Skype team posted yesterday, they have mentioned that your Windows Phone requires a minimum of 512MB of memory to install and use Skype which basically tells us that Windows Phone Tango devices are not supported.

I recently participated in an interview with the Portuguese website Zwame, where I made some comments on the future of Windows Phone that created confusion. Rumors are swirling, so I feel the need to clarify my statements.</p><p>

The point I was attempting to make was simply that existing Windows Phone applications will run on the next version of Windows Phone. This is the same guidance that Microsoft shared late last year.</p><p>

I mistakenly confused app compatibility with phone updateability, which caused the rumors we saw yesterday.  I did not intend to give the impression I was offering new guidance on any products under development or their upgradeability.

First, we know that the phones started arriving at AT&T stores over the last two days and that employee training on the Windows Phone OS (and this specific hardware) will take place on March 26th, April 6th and 7th at those outlets.

Next is the big news: AT&T has designated the Nokia Lumia 900 for 'Company Use' meaning all Front Seller employees are eligible to receive the phone at no cost. The trade off is though is that employees have to turn in their current 'Company Use' phones, namely the iPhone and certain Android devices.

Take this with a heaping cup of salt, but Tweakers.net is reporting from multiple sources that Sony is planning on joining the Windows Phone camp late in 2012.

Of course there are hurdles in the way such as Sony and that whole Playstation thing, but Sony is like any other massive corporation and its departments operate independently of each other, so we wouldn't actually cite that as a reason not to.

Part of the problem, said Mr. Elop, is that not only does Nokia have to sell phones, it has to sell the whole ecosystem. And in that space it appears to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting by itself.

For while Microsoft says there are some eight manufacturers signed up to the platform only Nokia has declared it as its principal platform.

On the stand of China's ZTE Corp. at Mobile World Congress, an assistant wasn't too clear how many Windows Mobile phones the company has in its portfolio: less than five, she seemed to think, compared to more than 20 Android devices. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Europe, Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp., one of the first to market with a Windows Phone device, said sales had been disappointing. Mr. Chou was in town to talk about its new Android phone.

So who is to blame? Emma Mohr-McClune, research director at Current Analysis, laid part of the blame with the carriers. "Carriers all talk about the need to support a third ecosystem, to create better balance in what is effectively an OS (operating system) duopoly. But so far there's been little more than lip-service. Windows Phone support should be more of a strategic priority, and I'd like to see more creativity in the partnership," she said.

the speed with which Android handsets can be developed seems to be a key value of that operating system and one for which Microsoft does not have a good answer.  Nokia is now one year into its commitment to the Microsoft platform and it has a very limited portfolio to show for it (and limited sales as well.) As a result, Nokia’s Symbian business evaporated very rapidly. More rapidly than the company anticipated.

The dilemma for other vendors may well be how long will it take for them to develop a replacement for their Android portfolio in Windows Phone.

The opportunity cost of this switch is subtle and insidious but may be the root of why we don’t see a stampede toward Microsoft. Conversely, Android's contract-free, implement-at-will availability may be its greatest selling point.

Many markets only have room for two leading players - and in the technology platform world, many have only one. On the margins the niche players are little islands. No matter how impressive WP is, if the needle doesn't move, then it too becomes a marginal player. Ecosystems can perish more rapidly than they arise. If Windows Phone is to avoid the same fate as WebOS then the dynamic has to change.

But what might this be?

Nokia Oyj (NOK1V)’s first phones running Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) software may have sold enough units last year to help rebuild investor confidence in the Finnish company, which lost $19 billion in market value in 2011.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone sales are so small right now that the company doesn’t feel compelled to report them as part of its quarterly financial results. But a new report from IHS iSuppli predicts that Microsoft will take the No. 2 slot in smartphone market share in 2015, edging out longtime rival Apple and its iPhone.

It’s not the first time an analyst has made this type of prediction. Both Gartner and IDC have made similar projections in the past. But the optimism from iSuppli is notable because it’s based on recent developments — particularly Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia.