Does a Facebook surge mean Windows Phone 7 sales are spiking?

By Preston Gralla

Windows Phone 7 sales aren't setting the world on fire, but there's some evidence that a recent surge in Windows Phone 7-Facebook use could mean that the device is finally taking off.

A blog post on WMPowerUser notes that in the last two weeks there's been a sudden surge in people using the Windows Phone 7 Facebook app. It notes that in the two weeks between 11/11/11 and 11/25/11, the number of monthly active users increased from 1,000,000 to 1,100,000.

Based on past experience and calculations, the site says that means there would have been approximately 600,000 new Windows Phone 7 users in that time period. If true, that's a big win for Microsoft, because sales of the devices have been lagging.

What might have led to the spike? There's been a recent spate of new Windows Phone 7 devices released, notably the Lumia 800.

Of course, that 600,000 figure over a two-week period sounds substantial, but it pales against the number of Android devices activated over a two week period. Google recently claimed that it now activates 550,000 Android devices per day, with a total of more than 200 million activated to date.

As for the Lumia 800 leading the way to Windows Phone 7 adoption, not everyone is convinced that's the case. Although the Lumia is a very solid piece of hardware, several analysts have said that the phone could well be a bust, and that Nokia may not be Microsoft's savior.

So even if it's true that the Facebook-Windows Phone 7 numbers accurately reflect a surge in Windows Phone 7 uptake, Windows Phone 7 is still falling behind Android in user adoption. It'll need more than 600,000 new users over two weeks if it wants to merely maintain its current market share, much less eat into Google's lead.