Androidifying

It would appear that Nokia isn't too keen on India these days. At least from a manufacturer's stand point. The issue at hand seems to be a hefty tax bill that has the Windows Phone OEM considering the country its "least favourable" market to operate in. Nokia is fighting a $20 Billion rupee tax demand from the Indian Government (about $311 million U.S.). A tax burden that may have Nokia move the manufacturing of their mobile phones to China and import them to the Indian market.

A few days ago, Cnet reported that Amazon.com was running a promotion for certain Xbox 360 games whereby a customer can trade up for the Xbox One version (which won’t be out until December 31st). How does it work? Customers who purchased one of select Xbox 360 games, including Call of Duty: Ghosts, Need for Speed Rivals, Madden NFL 25, and NBA 2K14, can return the game for a $25 credit and a $25 trade in value. Since Xbox One games will cost $60, that leaves a $10 difference for the purchase. Such a system will allow you to play the game for a few months on your Xbox 360 instead of having to wait for the Xbox One version.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took 15 minutes to sit down with ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley to talk about his announced departure , biggest regrets at the company and what the future holds. We covered news from this morning that the popular figure at Microsoft will be stepping down as CEO to begin to enjoy retirement. So, the most pressing question is: what was Ballmer's biggest regret?

The Carphone Warehouse has done something incredible. The UK retailer has made the Lumia 520 even more affordable. Priced at just £59.95, those who are seeking a PAYG (Pay As You Go) upgrade will be able to save 40 percent over previous pricing. While networks are tied to the handset when checking out, Carphone Warehouse generally deal with SIM-free devices.

We reported earlier that Canadians will be able to enjoy the Lumia 1020 from Nokia this coming October. This information still stands, but we also stated the Windows Phone will be exclusive to Rogers. This part is where it's not entirely accurate. TELUS will also be stocking the Lumia 1020 as well as the new, gigantic Lumia 625 . Good news if you're not with the mobile operator.

The Windows Phone title Glow Arkanoid is currently available for free on the store, thanks to a partnership with MyAppFree . The game puts you in control of a paddle, much like Breakout, and you're tasked with destroying the glowing blocks. Multiple balls are included in the gameplay to really make thing interesting and gesture or motion sensor controls can be utilised.

Windows Phone 8 currently doesn’t suffer from a lack of high quality photography apps , but that doesn’t mean all are created equal. OneShot, which we’ve covered in the past , was one of the first indie apps to make use of Nokia’s new imaging SDK and today it received a major update. Version 2.0 is now live in the Store and as the new milestone marker implies, there’s a lot of new features here to report. While OneShot’s earlier claim to fame was “live filters”, the new version tosses in many new tweaks and useful tools that has made it a highly recommended purchase.

Back when Nokia announced the Lumia 1020 in New York City, one of the accompanying software decrees was for Path, the popular “personal social network” that is wildly popular on iOS and Android. Of course the question everyone wants to know is when is it coming? Today, Nokia teased the app’s release a bit via Twitter and their Conversations blog where they do note that it’s “coming soon”. No firm date was given but the article highlights an interview with co-founder and CEO of Path, David Morin.

Rovio has announced that the next instalment in the Angry Birds Star Wars series of games will be launching on Windows Phone. Angry Birds Star Wars 2 puts the player in control of slinging birds at pigs to battle through levels in a galactic setting. There's a twist, however. You'll also be able to play as the piggies on the pork side of the force and teleport figurines into your game. Sounds rather cool, right?

The lineup of Xbox One launch game announcements began with a trickle during the May reveal event and didn’t start to really flow until Microsoft’s E3 press conference . Electronic Arts and other publishers chimed in, and soon gamers began to have a decent idea of what software to expect when Microsoft’s new console rolls around. Still, for all those title announcements, you never really know exactly what games will launch alongside the system until the console’s release date draws near. The Xbox One’s nebulous November release date (Microsoft still hasn’t named the date yet) is still a few months away, but Microsoft has just revealed the lineup of games that will be available at retail and via download on launch day. With 23 titles to choose from, early adopters are in for a treat this holiday season.

The Times ( www.thetimes.co.uk ), a British newspaper, has revealed to readers that the publication is working on a Windows Phone 8 app. Previously sporting an official app for older versions of Windows Phone, the app was pulled and is no longer available. While there's no official release date or ETA, we're excited to see the newspaper continuing to support the platform.

Developers! Developers! Developers! Live it up, folks. Get as much Ballmer as you can because the Microsoft CEO is stepping down and retiring in the next 12 months. The company fired out a press release today detailing the news that while Steve Ballmer will continue on as CEO and lead Microsoft through the next steps of the transition to a devices and services company, a successor will be selected as a replacement.

The Lumia 1020 is on its way to Canada. Currently sporting the Lumia 920 as the flagship Windows Phone 8 device from Nokia, Rogers believes that also stocking the Lumia 1020 will provide more choice for consumers. The real question is when? MobileSyrup has learnt that the mobile operator will be launching the Lumia 1020 this coming October.

Since the Windows Phone community is still relatively small, we get the chance to know developers on a first name basis. One of those developers is Rudy Huyn , who has been behind some very popular apps on Windows Phone. There’s the Wikipedia app, which won Microsoft’s Next App Star contest. He also has some other fun apps like TVShow and recently released 6tag . He also reached a milestone in the Windows Phone Store. What happened?

YouTube launched back in early 2005 as a video-sharing website. A lot has happened since then. The company was acquired by Google in 2006 and since then it has only exploded in popularity with new features and redesigns. As of March 2013, over 1 billion unique visitors use YouTube monthly. Which is a shame with all the recent controversy surrounding an official app on Windows Phone.

We first looked at Film Closet back in mid-May. It’s one of the coolest apps for both Windows Phone and Windows 8. Consider yourself a movie buff? Then you want and need Film Closet. The latest update adds even more to an already solid app. Let’s check it out.

Foundbite is a unique concept. We previously looked at the beta stage kicking off with a superb looking app that allows you to capture photos with a whole new level of depth. Not only can you casually browse a gallery of photos taken by friends, but you'll be able to hear ambience recorded with the Windows Phone when the shots were taken. It's a great way to immerse yourself.

If you have a Surface RT or Surface Pro and were thinking of picking up one of the colorful Touch Covers , you may want to hold off for eight more days. It has been revealed to Windows Phone Central that Microsoft is planning to drop the price on the accessory from the regular $119 to a more reasonable $79. The new price will be permanent. The Touch Cover was one of two keyboard accessories that launched with the Surface RT late last year, the other being the more robust Type Cover with mechanical keys. Currently, there is no evidence that second keyboard will receive a discount but we’re waiting on more information to see if that changes.

If you're a fan of the classic arcade game Missile Command , you'll enjoy the Windows Phone game Vectored. Just like the classic game, with Vectored you are tasked with protecting a collection of cities from waves of incoming missiles. Vectored is now a free game for our Windows Phone (down from $.99) making Vectored all the more attractive.

Microsoft has started teasing and showing off the next-generation of video game consoles at its stores across the US. The Xbox One is shown in the above video to be sat comfortably, being fed grapes, behind some Smart Glass (you saw what I just did there, right? I'll show myself out). Not quite ready to be unleashed to consumers until November this year, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of the console in all its glory at your local.