From the blog post:
Several of our partners also had news recently both at IFA and CTIA in Las Vegas.
New Generation Mobile (NGM): NGM makes mobile Dual SIM devices for the Italian market. In partnership with the well-known motorcycle company Harley-Davidson, NGM has announced their first Windows Phone device – NGM Harley-Davidson.
This device is designed specifically for die-hard fans of Harley-Davidson and features the glorious Harley-Davidson logo on the back of the device. It’s also a limited edition device and comes with leather gift box packaging. The NGM Harley-Davidson comes with Windows Phone 8.1 and has a 5-inch HD (1280×720) display with Gorilla Glass. It comes with 8GB of storage and expandable for an additional 32GB with a MicroSD card. And it also has an 8 megapixel rear camera. For more on the NGM Harley-Davidson, click here. The NGM Harley-Davidson will be available in early October 2014 at a price of 249/269 Euro.
KAZAM: KAZAM has announced their very first Windows Phone device – the Thunder340W.
The Thunder340W is the first of a range of new Windows Phone devices to come from KAZAM. The Thunder340W has a 4-inch WVGA IPS (480×800) display, a 5 megapixel rear camera, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. UK pricing and availability for the Thunder 340W will be announced at a later date.
BLU: BLU has announced their first Windows Phone devices – the BLU Win JR and Win HD. These new devise will be unlocked and compatible with any GSM Network in the United States.
The BLU Win JR is a 4-inch device with a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with a LED Flash. The BLU Win HD is a 5-inch device with a HD IPS display and an 8 megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED Flash. It supports Full HD 1080p recording. It also comes with a 2 megapixel front-facing camera. Both BLU devices have expandable storage with up to 64GB with a MicroSD slot. Both devices are also unlocked and have Dual-SIM support. The BLU Win JR is available now for $89.00 online through Amazon.com and other retailers. The BLU Win HD will be available later this month for $179.00 online through Amazon.com and other retailers. Both the BLU Win JR and Win HD will be available in all Microsoft Store locations throughout the U.S. and online at MicrosoftStore.com.
YEZZ: A few months ago at Computex, YEZZ unveiled the ultra-slim Billy 4.7 Windows Phone device. The unlocked Billy 4.7 which includes three interchangeable covers in red, white and blue is now available for pre-order in the U.S. for $249 at Amazon. It’s compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile and their U.S. MVNOs.
The Billy 4.7 comes with Windows Phone 8.1 and has a 4.7-inch IPS (1280×720) display made with Asahi Dragontrail glass. It has a 2 megapixel front-facing camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera. And it is just 7.2mm thin. For more on the Billy 4.7, click here.
The ARCHOS 40 Cesium has a 4-inch display and comes with 3 back cases in yellow, blue, and black. It’ll be available in September for only $99. ARCHOS also announced the ARCHOS 80 Cesium 8-inch tablet running Windows 8.1. It’ll be available in October for only $149.
Microsoft finished with some overall statistics on the state of the Windows Phone OEM system:
Just in the last few months since Microsoft launched a collaboration with Qualcomm on their Reference Design Program, we’ve already seen 14 new OEMs jump on board the Windows Phone ecosystem with more than 22 new devices already announced.
Note the 'new' bit - the 14 doesn't include existing licensee HTC, which recently launched the 'One (M8) for Windows'. The new 14 are all producing low to mid range handsets, in line with the reference design linked to. Yes, they're all fairly similar (though with some form factor differences) but they're all affordable in their different markets, where the likes of the Apple iPhone, HTC One (M8) and high end Nokias and Samsungs are all out of reach.
The bottom line for Windows Phone sales and marketshare for Q4 is looking good in 2014, with a likely significant upswing from 2013. Q3 figures may benefit too, though we've only got a few weeks to go.
22 new devices is too many to acquire and review for AAWP, of course, but most aren't available in the UK anyway - we'll get a handful in as examples of the breed. Watch this space.