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Showing posts with the label Windows Phone OS

Windows Phone Facebook Integration Troubles – Don’t Worry, Microsoft’s On It

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It appears as if some  Windows  Phone  users are having some issues with Facebook integration. The problems, which are affecting an apparent small amount of users are effecting the Facebook feed as well as some problems with Facebook chat. According to  The Verge , users started reporting problems with Facebook integration around 12 hours ago. A tweet from Joe Belfiore has confirmed the outages, and comes with word that Microsoft is working on the problem. If you’ve been experiencing promblems, hold tight as Microsoft will hopefully have a fix for this soon.

Nokia Lumia 2520 officially official: Snapdragon 800-powered 10.1-inch Windows RT 8.1 tablet

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The long-time rumored  Nokia  Lumia  2520 has been officially announced. Just as expected, it’s a 10.1-inch Windows RT 8.1 tablet, powered by Qualcomm’s fast Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip clocked at 2.2GHz. That screen supports full HD resolution, in case you wonder, while the rest of the specs include a 6.7-megapixel camera with ZEISS optics on the back, 2-megapixel wide-angle front-facing camera, 8,000 mAh battery and 4G LTE connectivity support (in addition to Wi-Fi). Available this fall 2013 in red, cyan, white and black – the Lumia 2520 owners will be able to pair it with the Nokia Power Keyboard, a wrap-around cover that includes a full keyboard and gesture trackpad, while also providing five hours of extra battery life. Aside from the device itself, Nokia also prepared few app surprises. One of them is Dragons Adventure, which was built in partnership with DreamWorks Animation to “transform a family drive into an interactive gaming experience.” Inspired by “How to Train Your

Instagram coming to Windows Phone “in the coming weeks”

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Yeah, we knew this one’s coming but now we have it officially confirmed. Ladies and gentlemen, Instagram is heading to  Windows  Phone  and will be available from the Marketplace “in the coming weeks.” “Our ultimate goal is to bring Instagram to everyone who wants to use it,” said Kevin Systrom, CEO and co-founder, Instagram. “We’re looking forward to watching the  Windows  Phone  community use Instagram to capture and share beautiful moments in the coming weeks.” Now I would guess that some of the new Lumia phones will come with Instagram preloaded, and who knows, perhaps Nokia announces something like that by the end of the day. Meanwhile, we’re on the lookout for other news coming from what used to be the world’s biggest smartphone maker (and soon part of Microsoft). Stay tuned…

Nokia Lumia 1320 announced: Low-cost Windows Phone Phablet that WON’T come to the U.S.

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Aside from the all-powerful  Lumia 1520 , Nokia also announced a more affordable phablet, Lumia 1320. Unlike its bigger brother, this model doesn’t come with Qualcomm’s super-fast Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip; it’s “stuck” to dual-core Snapdragon 400 and just 1GB of RAM. Moreover, the 1320 has a 6-inch 720p HD screen, rather than full HD one the Lumia 1520 rocks. Plus, its 5-megapixel camera can hardly compete with Lumia 1520′s PureView 20MP monster-shooter. Still, we’re talking about a rather decent device made for folks who: a) don’t mind carrying huge devices around; b) like Windows Phone, and c) don’t want to spend a small fortune on a phablet purchase. The  Nokia  Lumia  1320 will cost just $339 before taxes and subsidies and should hit select markets in the first quarter of next year. And by select, we mean China and Vietnam, followed by other Asian markets, India and Europe. Users will get to choose between few color variants, including orange, yellow, white and black.

Hands on video tour of Windows Phone 8 Update 3

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Earlier today, Microsoft surprised the Windows Phone community by not only announcing all the new features in GDR3, but by announcing the Developer Preview Program. That just announced program allows developers and enthusiasts to download the latest operating system updates from Microsoft. In fact it was just a few hours after those announcements that the Preview for Developers app went live allowing everyone to download GDR3, which Microsoft is calling Update 3. Let’s check it out those features in Update 3 for Windows Phone 8.  F irst off, if you’ve been following the leaks and rumors from the past few months around GDR3 you should know this wasn’t going to be a monumental update. You’re going to need to wait for Windows Phone 8.1 (a.k.a. Blue) if you want to have your socks knocked off. Instead, GDR3 was an incremental update, one that’s giving your current handsets some much welcomed features while at the same time preparing for the next wave of Windows Phone devices – those in the

Simple Calendar rises to version 2.6 to conquer multiple bugs

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Simple Calendar is one of those apps that's worth downloading just because it looks amazing. That's not taking into account how much functionality is packed into the app. Today we're covering the 2.6 update, which will be going live shortly. So what's new in this latest release? It's not a huge update, here's the full changelog: 'Hide private appointments' is now a universal, simplified setting. Live tile bug fixes, including updating tile on each app launch, only updating the tile size that you use (must select your tile size in settings page) Various bug fixes The update should go live in the next few hours (if not already available). You can  download Simple Calendar  from the Windows Phone Store.

Microsoft Surface Mini coming next year?

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Aside from the new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, we also expected to see Microsoft announcing the smaller Surface Mini. Alas, that hasn’t happened but that doesn’t mean the Redmond giant won’t make such a device. According to a  ZDNet report , that model has been delayed and will be introduced at some point next year, boasting Windows RT rather than full-blown Windows 8.1. This means it will use an ARM-based chip (or Intel Atom) along with a 7- to 7.5-inch screen. It is said that Microsoft first wants to complete the “Sprint 2014 GDR” update for the Windows RT and only then launch the Surface Mini. In addition, the report says the company is moving engineers from other departments to the Xbox unit; plus, let’s not forget the acquisition of Nokia, which will undoubtedly further complicate things. We do want to see the Surface Mini but are still wondering whether Microsoft has what it takes to compete in this saturated market dominated by an onslaught of cheap  Android  tablets  and Ap

EA delivers as Tetris Blitz arrives for free on Windows Phone 8

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September has been a strong month for Xbox games on Windows Phone, especially given the scarcity of titles in previous months.  Six-Guns ,  The Sims FreePlay , and  Angry Birds Star Wars II  have all debuted as free or 99 cent titles. Now we can add another free to play game to that list with  Tetris Blitz  from Electronic Arts. Tetris Blitz  is a fast-paced two minute version of the classic puzzle game. It runs on Windows Phone 8 devices (including those with 512 MB of RAM). Head past the break for plenty of gameplay details and Store link! Not your grandpappy’s  Tetris Tetris  has always been a puzzle game mainstay, so what makes this version special?  Tetris Blitz  was designed from the ground up for mobile play. Instead of marathon gaming sessions, games of Blitz last for two minutes at a time. It’s a mad race to earn the highest possible score within that time and hopefully outdo your friends. Adding to the excitement is the new Frenzy mode. Rack up enough points to fill a mete

6tag update allows you to pin your favorite Instagram peeps to your Start screen

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Version 1.4 brings with it a few new features, including image rotation, which is found in the official iOS and Android apps. Now you can align and move around your photo before submitting, ensuring that your images are straight as a board. In addition, there is now a light and dark theme for the Modern UI, which should give the app a little more pizazz. Finally, there is something new we weren’t expecting: you can now pin your favorite user sto the Start Screen as a Live Tile. That’s a fantastic example of making use of the Windows Phone UI and abilities, as not even the official app on iOS or Android can do such a thing. Pin your favorite Instagram people to the Start screen To pin a user to your Start screen, simply head into their profile, hit the three menu dots near the bottom and select ‘Pin to Start’. This will create a medium wide tile that flips with their latest post. You can also make it small or go for the doublewide if you’re so inclined. It’s certainly a fantastic featur

Microsoft is Taking the Xbox One on Tour!

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The fall tour season is looking like it’s going to be a big one. Today Microsoft announced it’s taking its Xbox One on the road, giving folks in select cities a chance to experience the Xbox One in advance of its release. So bring your earplugs and work out your headbanging muscles, folks. This tour is going to wail! Google announced yesterday it’s taking Glass on tour, now Microsoft has dropped its hat in the ring. Who’s going  to be the can’t miss tour of 2013. Microsoft’s been known to put on a great show, but sometimes they suck live. Still, the fliers for this show are already spelling out a blowout! Test Drive Xbox One is hitting the road with four decked out Xbox One trucks. Meet us at a Test Drive stop in one of the cities below and we’ll put a controller in your hands, a game on the screen, and a spring in your step that’ll carry you through to launch. Area One Drop in** on one of our Area One parties to experience the new Xbox One console before it goes on sale November 22. W

BlackBerry Messenger Is Also Coming To Your Desktop

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BlackBerry failed miserably in its attempt to bring BBM to Android and iOS last week, but the Canadian company hasn’t given up on making its popular messaging service available to all. In fact, it isn’t just targeting other mobile platforms, but it’s also planning to bring BBM to your desktop, too. BlackBerry showed off BBM for Windows during BlackBerry Jam Asia this week. It looks exactly how you’d expect a desktop instant messaging client to look, only with BlackBerry 10’s buttons and menu bars. A Mac application wasn’t previewed, but given the company’s new focus on making BBM available to all, we’re assuming there is one in development. N4BB reports that BBM for desktops works similarly to BBM for the BlackBerry PlayBook; rather than allowing you to login to BBM on two devices, you create a “bridge” between your computer and your smartphone and messages are sent and received through your phone. A desktop app could give BBM a much greater chance at competing with already-popular

Verizon’s Nokia Lumia 929 leaked

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Before Microsoft completes acquisition of Nokia, the Finnish company wants to release a few devices and has even scheduled an event for October 22nd. One of the things they’ll launch may be a Windows RT tablet codenamed Sirius (aka Lumia 2520) and another – Lumia 929, which has just been leaked and which is heading to Verizon Wireless. Compliments to  EVleaks , we know this smartphone will be available in black and white, sporting a fairly large (1080p) screen while running Windows Phone 8 GDR3. In addition — according to  The Verge  — the Lumia 929 will also come with a 20-megapixel PureView camera on the back. Little else is known about this model but it’s safe to assume it will pack 4G LTE connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS and a ton of built-in storage. We’re just not convinced the Finns will manage to convince enough users to buy their hardware now that they’ve become a part of Microsoft. Or I’m wrong? What do you think?

Nokia Lumia 2520 is actually Nokia Sirius

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If Microsoft doesn’t spoil the party, Nokia will soon launch its very first Windows RT tablet, which we knew under the codename “Sirius.” That, of course, won’t be the device’s final name; according to  EVleaks  it will be sold as Nokia Lumia 2520. Yup, the Finnish giant will keep the Lumia brand for all of its Windows-based devices, whether they run Windows Phone or Windows RT. Specs wise, the Lumia 2520 will come with a 10.1-inch full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) screen, 2GB of RAM, and a pair of cameras. The one on the back will have a 6-megapixel sensor while the front-facing one will sport a 2-megapixel one. In addition, earlier rumors suggest this thing will come with 32GB of expandable storage and have a battery that gives it up to 10 hours of operation. The price is set at around $499. All said, we’re not sure the Finnish company will be able to move a critical number of Sirius units before it officially becomes a part of Microsoft.

Best Navigation Apps for Windows Phone

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One of the more useful applications our Windows Phones are capable of is helping us get where we need to go. Navigation apps are rather plentiful in the Windows Phone Store and is the focus of this week's roundup. We take a look at four feature rich navigation apps to see if you can get away with a free navigation app or if you need to invest with a paid app. Two of the titles have been around for some time and two are relatively new comers. NAVIGON  ($23.99 US Maps/$49.99 Europe): NAVIGON was first announced just over two years ago as a feature rich navigation app for our Windows Phone. Through the years the developers haven't slowed down, improving the app's performance and adding features through updates.  It remains a feature rich navigation option for your Windows Phone. NAVIGON has several versions including USA and Europe that vary in in pricing points. NAVIGON operates from a main menu (as opposed to a map view) that is spread across three pages; Destination, POI, a