I’ve seen several comments about how the Windows Phone market isn’t up to par. Well whether you think they are or not, they are definitely working their way up the ladder. Currently they have 9,000 applications available for download and plan to have 10,000 or more by March.

Their growth rate is around 2,000 applications a month. This could potentially increase as long as their operating system keeps selling well. They’ve only been out for a couple of months so for them to have 9,000 applications in use on a brand new operating system is pretty good.

For a look at it’s competition: Android Market (over 200,000 apps), iPhone App Store (more than 350,000 apps) and the RIM App World (nearly 20,000 apps.) With numbers like that, Windows does have a little catching up to do but they aren’t far behind RIM. Once they can surpass RIM, they will be well on their way to competing with the bigger OS’s. With the help of multiple Microsoft developers and their rapid increase in supporters helping out, this shouldn’t take them too much longer to catch up.

For what applications are currently available, we see some positive and negative feedback but that’s also with any application on any OS. Windows Phone Marketplace is definitely aiming to provide quality applications for their new operating system so hopefully you won’t find too many applications that are not worth your time. If you are one of their consumers let us know what you think about their current stand point and the quality of their applications. Leave your comments in the boxes below.

Source: PhoneArena

There are two ways you can access Sly Dial. The first, which is free* but ad-supported, is by calling 1-267-SLY-DIAL (267-759-3425). A short ad will play once you are connected and then it will ask for you to input your victim’s contact’s phone number, after which it will connect your call. I tried it several times and every time it worked, connecting me to the voicemail prompt quickly.

The second way you can access the service is through the SlyDial Application. They currently have apps that work on the iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

I was able to review the Windows Mobile version of this app. There are two versions for Windows Mobile: Touchscreen and Standard (non-touchscreen). Both are compatible with Windows Mobile  5 and 6. I have received confirmation from MobileSphere that the  SlyDial application is also compatible with WM 6.5.

After installing the .CAB, I opened the application up. Minimalistic interfaces that get the job done without clutter are something I really enjoy, and this one is simple and easy to use. To note, I am using this application on my Touch Pro2 and, as you can see in the image, the words are readable, but blurry. I hope that they release an update that make viewing on a variety of screen resolutions clearer.

SlyDial worked flawlessly, as I was able to connect directly to my contact’s voicemail when selected from the contact list in the application. In all, it took 10-15 seconds to go from the contact list to the voicemail prompt. Of course, results will vary if you are in a poor coverage area.

SlyDial will work in the U.S. for most carriers, but it will not connect to someone who has a prepaid mobile phone (Virgin Mobile, TracFone, etc.), does not have voicemail on his/her phone (like Zach Morris), their voicemail is full, or if they have a third-party voicemail service (e.g. Google Voice, Youmail).

While this application is not freeware, the service itself is free. Is SlyDial worth purchasing? Personally, I would say yes because I have difficulty remembering numbers  which complicates dialing in. For others, the call-to service may suit them just fine. So readers, what do you think of this application?

Below is the blog post by the Google Mobile team. You may download the .CAB here.

As told by the Google Mobile team-

Google Maps for mobile has long allowed you to add stars on a map to mark your favorite places. You may have noticed a few months ago that Google Maps for desktop browsers introduced the ability to star places as well. Unfortunately, there was no way to keep these starred places in sync with Google Maps on your phone. With today’s release of Google Maps for mobile 3.3 on Windows Mobile and Symbian phones, you’ll now be able to keep the starred places on your phone and on your computer completely synchronized.

For users upgrading from an older version of Google Maps for mobile, you’ll be asked, when you log in, whether you’d like to synchronize your existing starred items with your Google Account. This means you can preserve all the work you’ve put into customizing your map on your mobile, and have it show up, conveniently, in Google Maps in your desktop browser.

Source- WMExperts.com