The Bluetooth SIG has finally posted the Bluetooth profile list supported by Windows Phone 8 and it looks like the number of profiles supported has improved quite a bit compared to Windows Phone 7. Addition of the OBEX (Object Exchange) profile means that the phone should theoretically be able to both send and receive objects though specifics around that remain to be revealed.
Continue reading “List of Windows Phone 8 Bluetooth profiles revealed”
As part of its rebranding and simplification efforts, Microsoft plans to rename Windows Phone Marketplace to Windows Phone Store on its smartphones. The new branding is expected to be rolled out with Windows Phone 7.8 on current devices and with Windows Phone 8 on next gen smartphones.
Continue reading “Microsoft renames Windows Phone Marketplace to Windows Phone Store”
The latest version of Nokia’s turn by turn navigation solution is now available for Lumia device users everywhere. The upgrade brings several new features to the application including My Commute which learns your driving preferences and then helps you get to your destination quicker by using those along with traffic information to assist with routes.
Continue reading “Nokia Drive 3.0 now available for Lumia devices everywhere”
At the Windows Phone Summit, Microsoft informed devs that the app store has crossed 100,000 apps. With the upcoming shared core between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, we should expect a much more exciting app scene for Windows Phone. Developers are now free to use native code for development making it easier to port apps to Windows Phone.
“Lumia customers can expect thousands more apps to be introduced across Windows Phone platform. The announcements underline the progress Nokia is making with the Lumia family of smartphones and in building a winning ecosystem with Microsoft. It shows how the Windows Phone experience continues to evolve at a faster pace than the competition and how Nokia’s continued investments in great location-based services benefit partners, developers and consumers.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jsLcPFlM9M
Microsoft is making a lot of under-the-hood changes to allow developers access to more features. Case in point, speech recognition will be available for each and every app to use. Easier development means more and better apps which in the end is great for consumers.
To better demonstrate the new start screen on Windows Phone 8 devices, Microsoft has uploaded a short video demo. While i was personally quite skeptical at first, the new layout definitely seems to be better in terms of displaying notifications.
Continue reading “Video : Microsoft demos new Windows Phone 8 start screen”
Windows Phone users who are feeling shafted post the Windows Phone 8 announcement can sleep a bit easier tonight. While they still won’t be getting the complete update due to the sweeping changes in the backend, they will still get the new user interface which is one of the more obvious changes in the OS.
The new interface allows users to resize app tiles. Three specific sizes have been defined by Microsoft. Small, Medium and large which would correspond to 1×1 , 2×2 and 4×2 in terms of spaces on the icon grid. Unfortunately apps compiled just for Windows Phone 8 will not be backwards compatible which doesn’t bode too well for current users. In addition there are expected to be some other Windows Phone 8 features which should make their way back to the WP 7.8 update which the company will reveal closer to launch. Continue reading “Current Windows Phone devices to get WP 7.8 update with new start screen”
Microsoft just unveiled the latest version of its mobile operating system. Called Windows Phone 8, it brings sweeping changes to the OS leaving current users out of the party for the most part. We’ll be detailing the features coming to existing phones in a separate post but for now lets take a look at the features to be a part of the next gen OS.
Do note that this is not a complete list and Microsoft is still holding back some cards for closer to the launch. Continue reading “Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8, Details 8 major features”
When Nokia announced the Lumia 610 back at Barcelona, it was promised that the handset and Windows Phone Tango will usher in a new era of smartphone. Here was a smartphone that was cheap and still performed well, in theory at least. It was a sound idea, but the compromises were just too big. Read on to find out why. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 610 review”
When Nokia announced their partnership with Microsoft last year, there were concerns that the adoption of Windows Phone as their primary smartphone platform would mean the death of cheap smartphones. After all, Nokia’s then bread and butter were cheap Symbian smartphones. Fast forward 15 months later and here is Nokia’s answer to getting prices of Windows Phone devices down – the Lumia 610. Read on for our first impression on the full retail version of the Lumia 610. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 610 first impressions”
Nokia has confirmed the release date and network pricing of their new budget Lumia 610 in the UK. At a press event in London Trafalgar Hotel yesterday, the beleaguered Finnish mobile company annonced that the Windows Phone-powered phone will go on sale in the first week of June. It will be available on contracts from £15 a month. No sim-free pricing has been announced yet. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 610 UK release date announced”
The Facebook app for Windows Phone has been under scrutiny due to the lack of several features compared to the iOS and Android counterparts. With the latest version 2.5 update , the app aims to bring it up to feature parity with the other platforms. The update brings many long requested features like threaded messaging and group messaging.
Continue reading “Facebook for Windows Phone gets updated to version 2.5”
The Nokia 610 is one of the first phones in the market to run Windows Phone Tango. The latest version of the fledgling operating system is supposed to allow it to run on phones with lower hardware specifications than the current chassis spec. However it seems we might be facing the first signs of app fragmentation on the platform.
Skype , the popular VOIP service , has an app available for Windows Phone devices including lower spec phones like the Lumia 610. Nokia has today pulled the app for the Lumia 610 from the marketplace. Poor performance was cited as the chief reason. Unless Skype does major rewrites to the app to enable it to perform better , we might never see the app on the 610 and similar devices. Continue reading “Skype pulled for Nokia Lumia 610 : Poor performance cited as reason”
Via a blog post , Microsoft’s Larry Lieberman reassured developers around the world and confirmed that all current Windows Phone apps will continue working with future versions of the fledgling operating system. Backwards compatibility is a sign of “commitment to the developers” according to Lieberman.
Continue reading “Microsoft confirms WP7 app compatibility with Windows Phone 8”
Two days before the end of the Smoked by Windows Phone challenge at the Microsoft stores , the company has changed the rules of the game and is instead offering store credit towards the purchase of a Windows Phone.
Continue reading “Microsoft scraps #SmokedByWindowsPhone challenge, offers credit instead”
Warning: this post is subjective, the most subjective you will ever find. I am writing it for the many readers who understand that and who still want to hear my opinion regardless of whether or not they agree. If you want to bash, build conspiracy theories, point your finger and say that I’m a Nokia hater or a Nokia lover, I’ll save you the trouble and tell you beforehand that you won’t change my mind and that I am both: I love them so much I ended up hating them two years ago. Otherwise, read on.
Continue reading “First Nokia Lumia Windows Phone Impressions From A February 2011 Believer”
