Also, we take a look at cyber security, and speak to What Mobile reporter Manny Pham, who spoke to white hat hacker Steve Lord about how to keep your smartphone safe.

Finally, New Way International is set to bring Xiaomi handsets to the UK for the first time.

Microsoft intends to become the leader in advanced wearable technology for healthcare and medicine, according to Leila Martine, Microsoft product marketing director of New Device Experience.

Speaking at the Mobile News ‘Wearables and Accessories’ conference held in London last week, Martine said:
“[Microsoft chief executive] Satya Nadella was in London last week and brought us back to our heritage about helping every person and company to achieve more.”

Microsoft, she said, was designing wearable devices which could take advanced biometrics to a new level and monitor complex cardio functionality such as VO2 max – the maximum amount of oxygen that can be removed from circulating blood and used by the body during a specified period.

Powerful technology
“Other than wearing the Microsoft Band, the only other way to get a VO2 Max rating is to go to a clinic or specialist that will require you to wear an oxygen mask and run on a treadmill.

“That is powerful technology, and where the consumerisation of this technology is great [is that] you’re going to get  people doing a better job of tracking symptoms,” she told the conference.

Premium device
“The Microsoft Band has 11 sensors in an incredibly small device. It’s a premium device with a lot of technology. We want to open up access to it across iOS, Android, as well as Windows Phone.

“It is also open to developers through the Microsoft Health platform. It will serve up basic information from whether you slept well or not, to monitoring beat-to-beat heart-rate variability”

She told how Dr David Plans, lecturer in entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Surrey, now uses a Microsoft Band to monitor his health after passing out at Brussels Airport, and “dying” for a few minutes before being revived by paramedics.

“He then thought about what he could do for himself in terms of artificial intelligence and predictive wellness,” Martine said.

“He looked at 20 different wearable products and wanted our product, because it has features, such as heart-rate variability.

“That is what causes the real stress that is happening to your body.”

Microsoft was also now  engaged with NHS Poole, in Dorset, to discover how wearables can monitor patients with epilepsy to help them predict when they may have an epileptic fit.

Microsoft, EE and Exertis are among the organisations delivering content to Mobile News “Wearables and Accessories – Analysing Opportunities” conference at 30 Euston Square on November 17.

The conference is part of Mobile News’ ‘Beyond Mobile’ series of channel events exploring strategies and discussion, charting technological developments and analysing the roadmap of the mobile channel.

“Since our first wearables conference last October, the wearables sector has grown at an exponential rate. This year’s content will also examine how wearables are impacting on the accessories industry”, said event organiser Kimberley Glover.

Speakers so far confirmed include EE head of communications Mat Sears, Microsoft product marketing director Leila Martine, Exertis sales director of mobile Simon Woodman, and Beecham Research fashion tech analyst Claire Duke-Woolley.

The event chairman is ex-Vodafone director Tim Stone, now a director of Breed Reply an incubator for Internet of Things start-ups.

Delegate passes cost £95 and are available from https://analysingopportunities.eventbrite.co.uk. This includes buffet lunch, refreshments throughout the day access to the exhibition area and a networking drinks reception.

A limited number of exhibition spaces are available at the Conference. For details contact Kimberley Glover 020 3122 0871.

Nokia’s plight over the past few years has been well-documented, and although it has taken nearly three years, it finally appears its partnership with Microsoft is starting to bear fruit.

The manufacturer, which was acquired by Microsoft for £3 billion last month, had signed a deal with Microsoft to use Windows Phone as its proprietary operating system on its smartphones.

There were advantages and disadvantages to this: Nokia’s Symbian platform had been classed as dated and no longer fit to compete with the likes of Android and Apple iOS. On the other hand, it was seen as a risky move, as Microsoft had thus far failed to make any significant impact in the mobile space.

Since the deal was struck in February 2011 and the first Nokia device to use the OS, the Lumia 800, was released in November that year, Nokia and Microsoft have been quietly trying to build up the brand in the UK in times of stiff competition.

You get the feeling the two companies are confident all the hard work is starting to pay off, especially in the enterprise space, and it was refreshing to hear Windows Phone UK director Leila Martine share these views with Mobile News.

Two or even three years ago, most industry experts doubted whether Nokia could ever be a major player again. In the corporate space, BlackBerry was hanging onto its title as the enterprise leader, with growing platforms Android and Apple iOS gaining fast.

The same was said about the Windows Phone OS, with many questioning whether Microsoft would be able to raise the brand awareness of the platform to the point where it could go from being a challenger to a major player.

If the recent market share figures are anything to go by, it is achieving its aims. In the consumer space, Windows Phone has gone from no market share to around 10 per cent in the UK, thus establishing itself as the third ecosystem behind iOS and Android.

In the UK enterprise space, according to the most recent data from Canalys, Nokia’s share now stands at 18 per cent. Its momentum has been helped by contract wins with household names such as Britvic and Foxtons.

Martine thinks Nokia can achieve the pinnacle and be the number one player in this space this time next year. It’s a mighty ambitious target for a manufacturer using such a new OS, but the reasoning she put across to us made a lot of sense.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, Nokia has built up a portfolio of more than a dozen smartphones spread across a number of price points. Apple in particular doesn’t have this at its disposal as it has continued to focus its attentions on the premium market with the iPhone 5s and 5c.

Price is perhaps the most important element that Nokia and Windows Phone are looking to use to its advantage over Apple.

Nokia’s cheapest smartphone,the Lumia 520, costs just £60 SIM-free. Its most expensive is the Lumia 1520 at £490. This might change with the launch of its new flagship device, the Lumia 930, which is released next month.

In comparison, Apple’s device range is limited. The iPhone 5c costs £440, while its top-end device, the iPhone 5s 16GB, cost £530. You can see why Windows Phone is trying to make a big deal of device range across a number of price brackets.

When we talk to leading B2B dealers about recent contract wins, we’re hearing more and more they are now providing them with Lumia devices as opposed to most others. That shows companies are continuing to look to reduce costs and reinvest back into their business.

The corporate space has always been Microsoft’s heritage, so it will bring its experience together and will be well primed to make strides now it has a proposition to work with. Apple never talks up the iPhone in the corporate space and its next device won’t be released for another few months. Microsoft and Nokia has plenty of time to play with.

Nokia may have to double its market share to top Apple in the corporate space but with the power of Microsoft completely behind it, it is well primed to strike.

Microsoft says Windows Phone will become the most used mobile operating system in the B2B market within the next 12 months.

The ambitious target was revealed to Mobile News during an exclusive interview with Windows Phone UK director Leila Martine (pictured) following Microsoft’s Business Transformed Event in London this month.

According to Martine, who was quoting the most recent figures from Canalys, Nokia’s UK enterprise market share stands at 18 per cent. This is ahead of Samsung (17 per cent) but behind Apple iOS (35 per cent).

“Our ambition is to be number one in the business market and my ambition is to achieve that within the next year,” she said.

“We want to be taking share from across the board.”

Weaknesses

Martine said momentum is now with Windows Phone in B2B, having identified a number of weaknesses with its rivals – particularly concerning price, choice and security.

She claims decision makers in businesses are increasingly being put off by the high costs and limited choice of Apple (iPhone) handsets, whilst the experience and security issues on Android are causing customer concerns.

“When you think of Apple, how many CEOs and CIOs really want to pay for their employees to use an expensive premium device when they can choose from a full range of devices?

“With Android, Apple and BlackBerry, there are continued concerns about the fragmentation of the ecosystem, the segmentation of the experience and also the level of malware.”

Nokia, which partnered with Microsoft in 2011 before eventually being acquired for £3.8 billion this year, accounts for around 94 per cent of all Windows Phone handsets sold globally.

HTC (4.3 per cent), Samsung (1.2 per cent) and Huawei (0.8 per cent) make up the rest. Fifteen Lumia handsets have been released during this period with current prices ranging from £70 (Lumia 520) to £490 (Lumia 1520).

Consumer rise

In addition to B2B, Microsoft has set targets to double its Windows Phone market share in the consumer space to around 20 per cent during the same period.

Windows saw its UK share increase tenfold in 2013 thanks almost exclusively to Nokia’s Lumia range, particularly the low-end Lumia 520.

According to analyst firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Windows peaked in January with an 11.5 per cent share, but has dipped to around 9.5 per cent in recent months.

Martine blamed the fall on the wait for its Windows 8.1 OS update that debuted on the entry-level Lumia 630 (£100), which went on sale at the end of May. Without revealing figures, she added the firm will continue to advertise heavily to build up the brand in the UK to ensure its momentum continues.

“The industry is hyper-competitive, the growth is slowing down and that is putting a lot of pressure on manufacturers.

“The fact that we were the fastest growing OS last year gives us a really good platform to build on our momentum.”

ZTE will launch its first Windows Phone handset in the UK in the second half of February.

The ZTE Tania features a 4.3-inch screen, a 1GHz processor and a five megapixel camera.

It has 4GB of flash memory and 512 MB of RAM, is 10.7mm thick and runs Windows Phone 7.5.

ZTE said the Tania will be available on contracts costing between £10 and £20 per month.

Brightpoint, Virgin Media, Go Mobile and a “leading specialist retailer” will stock the device on launch.

ZTE director of mobile operations Wu Sa said: “We’re delighted to be working with Microsoft and as a key partner will support the industry forecasted growth on this exciting new platform with both the ZTE Tania and in the future a growing range of devices.”

“Last year, ZTE announced its plans to build market presence with ZTE branded devices with the release of the ZTE Skate, Libra and Tureis. Our first own-brand handset to enter the market in 2012 is the ZTE Tania.”

Windows Phone UK director Leila Martine said: “ZTE’s expertise will be crucial in delivering Windows Phone to new and different customers.

“We look forward to continuing and developing our relationship with ZTE in the future.”

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