Microsoft patent simplifies app transfers from Android, iOS
updated 05:19 pm EDT, Thu May 17, 2012
Patent finds comparable apps for migrating from Android
Microsoft filed a recently uncovered patent application in November 2010 for a service allowing users to transfer apps and app data between devices, even if those devices run on different operating systems. The technology could prove to be a selling point as Microsoft looks to draw users away from iOS and Android.
According to the patent application, the technology would analyze apps stored on a device and compare the list of apps against available apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Upon finding matches, the program would suggest those apps to the user and provide them with a link to purchase or otherwise download the apps for Windows Phone. In the event that no correlating apps could be located in the Windows Phone Marketplace, the program could suggest similar apps, or give the user the option of being notified when said apps did appear in Microsoft's app store.
Upon downloading matched apps, users would be presented with the option of migrating data from the app on their old phone to the new Windows Phone.
The service could prove a useful tool in Microsoft's effort to gain market share versus Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Windows Phone Marketplace has been steadily adding to its app catalog, jumping from 50,000 apps in December to 60,000 a month later, but Microsoft's phone operating system still lags behind iOS and Android, which boast app catalogs numbering into the hundreds of thousands. [via Unwired View]
