Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A look at IRC7, an IRC client for Windows Phone coming soon to your Mango devices

Ex - IRC addict here (Spent 8-10 hours every day in 10th grade, don't ask how I passed the exams) and I know how important it is to stay in touch with your channel buddies all the time. Windows phone 7 marketplace is currently missing a IRC client. This is due to the lack of socket support at the moment. But with Mango update coming soon, you'd have another reason to enjoy the update even more. Mango update comes with socket support which enables developers to create a bunch of applications such as an IRC client. SoftwareMK has developed an IRC application called IRC7 which will soon be available on Mango devices. More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Use Windows Phone as a remote to control Zune music playback with Zemote (Coming Soon)

Zemote is a remote application that enables you to control music playback on Zune via the application on your Windows Phone. Nifty. The application utilizes the local WiFi network and a Zemote desktop application to set up a complete sync with the application on your device. List of features and video of the application in action, after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

A Video Response To Molly Wood!!

I'm sure all of you are aware of Microsoft's aggressive marketing strategy of their Windows Phone devices. Brandon Watson is handing Windows Phones to celebrities who are complaining about their (buggy) Android phones or (boring) iPhones. Molly Wood, executive editor at CNET complained about having a...well lets say she was using a Android handset. Brandon stepped in and lent her a HTC Trophy (Verizon) running Windows Phone Mango for two weeks, where she could assess it and decide whether it was meant for her. If she didn't like it a $1000 would be donated to the charity of her choice.
 Molly was kind enough to keep the world posted about her experiences over the two weeks. She tried and tested it and released a video saying she didn't like. As we know it, the internet is filled with people bursting with sarcasm and information (there are a few) and Mr. Carl Camera decided to share his opinions on Molly's, well opinions! Sit back, grab some popcorn and watch the video!



[here's the YouTube link]

Well, found any fault in Molly's thoughts or do you think this guy is just rude? Let us know what you think!



By Sameer

Monday, August 29, 2011

HTC Omega/Radar Shows Up For Auction (with pictures)

We recently featured the first leaked photo of the HTC Omega (Radar, if you prefer) and today the white beast has shown up for auction on an Algerian site. The guys at OuedKniss have provided the first 'real' pictures of the handset HTC is expected to unveil next month.

The ROM on the phone seems to be Orange branded and the French setting might indicate it launching in France first, but guess we will have to wait for the dual camera toting phone to become official first.

[Source]

By Akshay Bakshi

Market Place Hits 30,000 App Mark

Microsoft Windows Phone platform has been around for 8 months. Since its launch in November 2010, it has crossed milestone after milestone. The most recent of which being 'The 30,000 App Milestone'.

 Microsoft's Marketplace has taken the same amount of time Apple's App store took to reach this milestone and half the time Android has taken. This is really not a surprise considering Microsoft's efforts to reel in developers and customers.



With the Mango update on the horizon and the Market Place Mango ready, it looks like a good time to be jumping ship.

By Sameer

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Indian Rail guide, first Windows Phone application targeting Indian travellers

Apps are the lifeline of any Smartphone platform. The Android and iPhone marketplace has lots of apps that caters to the local crowd. These apps generally include apps that show train timings, local bus routes or movie timings ( Data is fetched from good ol' indianrail.gov.in ). Slowly but steadily we are seeing such apps for the Windows phone marketplace. We get our hands on one such app - Indian Rail Guide.

By Rahul Mathur

HTC Omega/Radar powered by 1.5 GHz Snapdragon and 8 MP Camera

What's a day without a phone leak ? Here we have the HTC Omega, whose aluminium white chassis is gracing the web thanks to a leak by the guys at PocketNow. The name is still not confirmed as some sources say it might be called the HTC Radar on launch.
It will most likely be powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 (single core), have 512 MB of RAM and come with a 3.8" SLCD. It will have dual cameras - an 8 MP shooter at the back and a front-facing camera - which will come with Skype integration as we recently learned. The growing number of leaks surely points to an approaching release of Mango and we can't wait.

[Source]

By Akshay Bakshi

Saturday, August 27, 2011

vNES Light beta 2 emulator running at 60 fps mode shows buttery smooth gameplay

vNES Light, NES emulator for Windows Phone, has been one of the highlights of work done by the community. In case you didn't know - Microsoft has banned emulators from the marketplace but that doesn't keep away enthusiastic developers from porting emulators to Windows Phone. vNES light Developer Nudua  is hard at work and has been consistently working to improve the performance of the emulator. Mango update has a direct impact on the performance of the application since Mango bumps the 30 FPS restriction to 60 FPS making gameplay 2x smoother. More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Friday, August 26, 2011

Cro - Mag Rally update patch coming soon to to fix several issues

Xbox Live games on Windows Phone 7 have the reputation of being highly polished. Cro - Mag Rally however was barely playable. Hundreds of WP7 users expressed their frustration by providing feedback on the application page ( read comments ). I tried the trial version and absolutely agree with other reviewers that controls are poor. Poor controls in a racing game? not cool. That's just one issue but most of them are related on steering your car along the track ( camera, getting stuck at obstacles, etc). Developers of the XBL title, Citizen 12, have taken notice and they have already submitted the update patch to fix all the issues. Details after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Skype Support And Secondary Cameras To Come With Mango

Will it have it, will it not? The ongoing battle whether Microsoft is actually bringing Skype to Windows Phone. Well, video chat lovers, good news. Microsoft has announced that it will integrate skype into the windows phone experience with the mango update.



Windows Phone NZ, reports that 2nd generation Windows Phones will come equipped with a secondary camera. Microsoft's standardisation of hardware will probably ensure this. Furthermore, they report that Microsoft promised to integrate skype a great deal more than what it is currently (for other platforms).

This is going to be Microsoft's reply to Apple's face time feature. With skype already a prominent name in the video chat world, this could change Microsoft's rather miserable market fortune.











[Source]


By Sameer

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Classic Sega game Sonic CD to arrive on Windows Phone later this year

Today, Sega officially revealed their plans to revive the classic 1993 Sega CD  game titled Sonic CD. Oh I remember spending hours at the video game store waiting to grab the game. Not really. I was just 1 year old at that time. If you haven't heard of the game, fret not, here's some gameplay of Sonic CD in action (looks fun!) :



More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Mango Update To Bring Tethering To Windows Phone

Windows Phone Mango is definitely a major update to Microsoft's fledgling operating system. It brings a variety of new features to the platform. The most recent feature to be noted is the support for internet sharing or tethering.


There are two strings that have helped identify this feature.
   “To enable tethering on this device dial {0}” and "To enable tethering on this device, go to {0}”
According to Long Zheng, these strings suggest that this won't be enabled by default and interested customers would have to contact their carrier's to enable it. Users will be able to choose between no encrpytion (open) and WPA2 encryption for their hotspots. The number of guests is also customizable, presumably by the carrier

This is reported to be running build 7720.68, currently with Microsoft
There are a few reports that suggest that this feature "works like a charm" but eats a lot of battery life.

With such hidden surprises, Mango couldn't come sooner.




[Source]




By Sameer

AT&T Roadmap Leaks; Two Windows Phone Mango Handsets For Q4

Here's another leaked roadmap. This time its at&t's plans that have been revealed.
The roadmap is as always clogged with android handsets. On the bright side there are two windows phone mango handsets (Samsung and HTC are the makers) scheduled for a quarter four release. 



The Samsung handset is called as the Kupua, which is the long time rumoured SGH-i937. This handset sports a 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus display of WVGA resolution, 512MB RAM and 8MP camera. It further boasts a 1650mAH battery to keep it ticking on for at least a day.                                                                                            








The HTC device, is called the Bunyip PI39100 (ROFL). this also has a WVGA screen of unknown size, 512MB RAM and a 8MP camera. HTC has thankfully added a 1600mAH battery that will hopefully last for a solid day's use.




There is no further news regarding the two handsets. No specific dates have been given. But with Mango already with the OEMs, you won't have to wait for too long to taste some Mango goodness






[Source]

By Sameer

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Two Mango Phones Caught in the Wild. Acer M130, Asus

Windows Phone NZ reports that during Windows Phone WPC, two new Windows Phone devices were seen.

First, is an Asus device. The reporter calls it a:
tidy looking handset with a matt black finish and it appears to be an engineering sample with non-final code on it.
The other device is the Acer M130, and the reporter says it "looks final" calling it a:
a good basic handset overall with a black shiny look and bevelled edges. This handset has something we haven’t seen on Windows Phone handsets before – video output to HDMI. It also includes DLNA support to play over WiFi to a network connected TV, Xbox, or other DLNA supported device
With Mango phones popping up in the wild, that could only mean that the days of new hardware are near. Check the source for the full report from Windows Phone NZ.


By Andy Babbitt

Monday, August 22, 2011

Official Cyanide & Happiness app now available in Windows Phone marketplace

Cyanide and Happiness, one of my favorite webcomic, has finally officially stepped into the Windows Phone marketplace. Cy & H launched their iOS application back last year and has had a successful run at the app store since release. Surprisingly, Cy & H has no official presence in the Android marketplace. Official application description and download link after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Nokia 900 confidential info leak reveals specifications, it's a dual core beast !

We recently reported on existence of previously unknown Nokia 800 device. Well, looks like we have another Windows phone device in our sight now, thankfully - it's specs aren't a mystery. Windows Mobile.se forum poster apparently received *supposed* confidential information which is basically a sketch of the 900 model alongside specifications. More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Telnet client coming soon to Windows Phone with SSH Support

Jeremy Bell has posted a video on YouTube previewing his telnet app for Windows Phone.

By Sushovan De

And now, a windows phone controlling lawn sprinklers

We remember the days when every home item from a bathtub to the kitchen sink was seemingly being controlled by the iPhone, just because it can. Well, it seems like those days are coming to the Windows Phone now, as Mike Linnen shows us his lawn sprinkler controlling Windows Phone device.

While the iPhone allows using the hardware port on the phone directly, Windows Phone does not, so this project uses an Azure web service, a laptop and a netduino as intermediate controls. Essentially, an app on the windows phone makes a call to the Azure web service, which in turn triggers the netduino to turn the sprinklers on and off.

Mike Linnen’s Windows Phone / Azure lawn sprinkler project

We look forward to more hardware projects with windows phone, so if you know of any, please send us a link in the comments.We also hope that Microsoft allows us more control over the USB interface in future versions of the operating system, we can have robots with windows phone brains.

By Sushovan De

WP7 Game Review: Bubblo World

bubbloToday’s game is Bubblo World by Baracat.

Bubblo world is an interesting puzzle game where the objective is to pop all bubbles starting from a single tap.

Overall score 4 / 5

By Sushovan De

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Play DataMix by Cronos Labs for free and win a $50 Amazon Gift Card


Cronos Labs recently launched their first game, WordMix and to celebrate the launch they will be giving away $50 Amazon Gift Cards every week for the next four weeks. The app is free for a limited time here. Quoting the devs :
To celebrate our initial release of WordMix, we are excited to announce a weekly prize drawing for the next month! Anyone that downloads and plays the game in August is automatically entered to win. If you are our randomly selected winner, a personal message will be sent to you when you launch the game with instructions on how to claim your gift card. Winners will be announced on a weekly basis via our Twitter feed.
The game's premise is simple but good. You have to create as many words as possible with the given 6 letters before the timer runs out. The game leaderboard is provided by ScoreLoop which also has other great games like Frenzic , Pirates Assault etc.

The developers are running a poll to determine which languages should be included in the next update of the vocabulary game. Go and vote!


By Akshay Bakshi

webOS Devlopers to Recieve Free Windows Phone Devices, Training

After HP made the announcement on Thursday they would be scrapping their webOS operating system and some of it's hardware, including the struggling Touchpad, Microsoft's Senior Director of WP7 development Brandon Watson made it clear via twitter that all previous webOS devs would receive all that is necessary to make a successful switch to Windows Phone.

"Any Published WebOS Devs: We’ll give you what you need to be successful on #WindowsPhone, incl.free phones, dev tools, and training, etc.," he said on Friday.

Watson has been extremely active recruiting of late using social networking to further Windows Phone's collective cause, which heated up in January when Microsoft began handing out ASUS WP7's to jailbreakers from the ChevronWP7 team a few months after they released an "unlock" tool that allowed users to side load their own applications.

The process continued in April when Microsoft Europe tweeted US President Barack Obama and offered to send him a WP7 after he complained about the lack of 'cool' technology in the Oval Office.

Recently, Watson made a $1k bet with Scott Adam, author of the comic strip 'Dilbert', and followed up with a similar challenge to CNET blogger Molly Wood, who was unsatisfied with her Android device. Both received handsets with a pre-release version of the Mango update.

Most recently, after Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin complained that his iPhone was frozen, Watson offered one to Blake and his brother Taylor earlier this week.

Back in May, he even offered his personal phone number in hope that developers would call him with any questions or feedback.

All of this comes within a week of the release of the new Silverlight for Windows Phone Toolkit add-on, which contains additional tools and controls to help devs build better apps. The sudden halt of webOS development coupled with the discontinuation of HP's TouchPad leaves a gaping vacuum to be filled in the mobile app development market that Microsoft is aiming to fill swiftly.

Windows Phone Marketplace has already grown to 30,000 apps and production is expected to spike in the coming months with the introduction of several more hardware manufacturers beginning production on WP7 devices, such as Nokia and Fujitsu, as well as additional handsets from Samsung and HTC.

You can follow Brandon Watson on twitter here @BrandonWatson.


By Justin William

What's new in Xbox Live Hub of Windows Phone Mango (GamesCom Interview)

An array of new XBL titles was announced by Microsoft this week at Games Com 2011 held in Cologne, Germany. German blog Giga.de got a chance to have a quick chat with Peter Orullian, Group Product Manager of Xbox division. Peter does a great job of  rounding up most of  the xbox live for Mango enhanced features previously announced in the official Windows Phone blog over the past months. Don't forget to check out our NoDo v/s Mango comparison video to see what's new in XBL Hub. Interview after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Cronos Labs Launches DataHub Pro to organize your life


There are lists. And then there are lists. Choose any platform and you will find tons of to-do and list apps, but most of them, even the popular, are rigid and bound to one format. DataHub by Kronos Labs is a nifty database and form builder whose ad-free Pro version launched recently. It seems to be the only general database app in the marketplace so far. DataHub uses Dropbox instead of SkyDrive because of API support but the popularity of DropBox will ensures that its not an inhibitor. Its high degree of user customization makes it worth trying out atleast once, especially for organised people (like me).
Inspired by OneNote and a bit by Microsoft Access, DataHub allows users to configure and edit their own structured datasets on their phones. We have a very efficient synchronization system with Dropbox as the storage provider. One feature we are especially proud of is our sharing. Using Dropbox folder sharing, two (or more) users can all edit the same dataset at the same time. If they both edit the same record at the same time, the last user to synchronize gets a great UI showing them all of their changes vs. the other users’. This allows them to select which changes to keep.

Download DataHub Pro here.

By Akshay Bakshi

Friday, August 19, 2011

WP7 App Update: NextGen Reader v1.15 now available

ngreader_1.15

Today, I’m excited to announce some updates to the NextGen Reader app for windows phone. I’ve added some of your most-requested features, in addition to other enhancements.

What’s new:

  • share to Facebook.
  • subscriptions in alphabetical order.
  • "all items" or "unread only" toggle mode:
    • display all feeds or only unread feeds.
    • display all articles or only unread articles.
    • toggle using application bar button.
  • new experience in "unread only" mode:
    • auto hide articles when marked as read.
    • auto hide feed/folder with no unread articles.
    • auto back to top-level list.
  • sync any feed or folder:
    • navigate to desired feed or folder.
    • press sync button to download new items.
  • improved automatic loading of new items.
  • option to lock screen to portrait mode.
  • increased limit for starred and shared items.
  • improved response on star button in article view.
  • fixed image resizing on mango build 7712.
  • improved layout in landscape mode.
  • many bug fixes.

I hope you enjoy the new features – give it a try! The trial version has no ads or limitations except share to twitter support. And of course the mango version is coming soon!

Download NextGen Reader from Zune Marketplace, or visit the ngreader.wordpress.com blog.

By ngreader

Bing Team Releases We're In App for Windows Phone

The Bing team has just released its 'We're In' app for Windows Phone. It's a useful little app that allows you to share your location with your friends.                                                                                                                                     
clip_image002            
clip_image006

You sign in to this app with your phone number and invite your friends by adding their numbers. You can share your location with all your friends for a definite or indefinite time period. This app also includes a map, (for finding friends) and integrates with your Facebook account (to post status messages).

clip_image010             clip_image008

Well, what are you waiting for? Here's the link. Spend some time with it and let us know what you think of it.









[Source]

By Sameer

Occassional Gamer List Shows Existence of Samsung SGH-i937

Fear not, lovers of the Samsung Galaxy S II's hardware. For Samsung is remodeling it's super-slim flagship device with Microsoft's latest running on it. 
It's real! It's real! I saw it with my own two eyes!It's real!
A recently leaked (probably incomplete) roadmap turned down all such rumors, by revealing that Samsung had only one Windows Phone device in the making, it being the successor to the rather unsuccessful Omnia 7. But evidence unearthed, by yours truly, contradicts this road map. If you remember  Elbert Perez's recent list of phones running his games, you will notice that sitting rather inconspicuously at the bottom is the Samsung SGH-i937. This happens to be the phone rumored to be the Samsung Galaxy S II remake.The super-slim droid was first announced at MWC this year catching everyone's eye with it's dual core processor and 1GB of RAM. However, the Windows Phone handset would probably stick to the Qualcomm processor rather than Samsung's own Exynos chip and a lesser 512MB of RAM. There is no proof or any hint that this device will make it to the US or not. Also, the price and launch date is nowhere to be found. So for all we know it could just be a discontinued prototype. If so, unfortunate.


This list has been reliable before and if it is to be taken seriously, expect some rocking hardware this fall folks.

By Sameer

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Windows Phone 7 surpasses Android and iPhone according to Dilbert

Most of you have probably heard of The Windows Phone Challenge started by Brandon Watson via Twitter where he offered to give charity $1000 if the reviewer doesn't like WP7.

CNET's Molly Wood was the first to take on this challenge, and now we have Dilbert himself, Scott Adams, take on our beloved WP7.

Brandon Watson approached Adams with the wp7 challenge offer after he had complained about his iPhone 3Gs and Android HTC EVO 3D.

Adams proclaims himself as an every-day smartphone user saying:

Keep in mind that I'm just a casual user, not a phone tester. I didn't test every feature of every phone, and I didn't measure anything. I simply used the new phone and kept track of my reactions compared to my Android and iPhone experiences.

Adams judged his experience through the following categories: Call Quality, User Interface, On-Screen Keyboard, Battery Life, and Apps.

His overall impression of wp7 was exceptionally good. He says his iPhone is always dropping calls, his Android has to always be plugged in and calls the UI a "think-about-it-everytime experience."

He thinks the Windows phone had the best user experience, calling it "Intuitive, simple, and has a liveliness that I [Scott Adams] find appealing."

So, for now, that's Windows Phone, one. Charity, zero. Kidding aside, check the source to read Dilberts full review.

Source: Windows Phone Challenge Results - Scott Adams via dilbert.com

By Andy Babbitt

Leaked Road Map confirms Samsung i8350 Omnia W October launch

Samsung i8350 Omnia W has popped up on several websites in past weeks. Blog of Mobile spotted Omnia W receiving bluetooth certification. So it's existence has been confirmned for quite some time . The unknown variable have been target release date, specifications and pricing. Telefonino ( via GSMArena ) got access to Samsung Roadmap for 2H 2011 and it unsurprisingly has load of Android phones coupled three Bada devices and just one Windows Phone 7 device. More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Microsoft releases Silverlight for Windows Phone toolkit update for Mango

Important news from the Windows Phone Developer Blog today with the announcement of the release of the new open source Silverlight for Windows Phone Toolkit (August 2011) add-on.

In addition to UI control components like toggle switches and page transitions, it includes several new features such as HubTile, a tool which let's you "add beautiful, informative, animated tiles to your application".

You can download the update via CodePlex here, or from NuGet here.

The full list of features is as follows:


  • LongListSelector has been rebuilt and redesigned to take advantage of the new smooth scrolling and off-thread touch input support in ‘Mango’. This is a buttery-smooth control for showing lists, including grouping and jump list support.
  • MultiselectList control enables multiple selection for easily working with lists of data, similar to the Mail app’s capability.
  • LockablePivot adds a special mode to the Pivot control where only the current item is shown (often used with multiple selection).
  • ExpanderView is a primitive items control that can be used for expanding and collapsing items (like the threaded views in the Mail app).
  • HubTile lets you add beautiful, informative, animated tiles to your application, similar to the new People groups in ‘Mango’.
  • ContextMenu control has been reworked: performance improvements and visual consistency fixes.
  • ListPicker now supports multiple selection.
  • RecurringDaysPicker lets your users select a day of the week.
  • Date & Time Converters localized to 22 languages. The converters let developers easily display date and time in the user interface in one of the many styles found throughout the phone’s UI, from a short date like ‘7/19’ to relative times like ‘about a month ago’.
  • Page Transitions have improved performance for a more responsive feel.
  • PhoneTextBox is an early look at an enhanced text box with action icon support, watermarking, etc.
  • All error messages and interface elements have been localized to all of the supported languages, making for a great experience for users around the world

Overall this is excellent news for the application developers community that provides ample time and opportunity to improve the already impressive and rapidly growing selection of apps for Windows Phone 7 before the the launch of the 'Mango' software update.

By Justin William

Microsoft will have a 'Compelling and Dynamic End User Interface' in Windows Phone 8 Apollo

We knew that Apollo, the next update to Windows Phone, would be coming next year and now Microsoft has given the first hints at what to expect from it. In a job posting on the Microsoft Talent Network for a software development engineer on the Consumer Experience team, the company says that they will be  "stirring up the out of box experience for Windows Phone 8 and is committed to building/improving a compelling and dynamic high quality look and feel to our end user experience".
Considering how much Metro shook up the standard UI for mobile devices, if Apollo delivers even half of that, it will be pretty amazing. And of course the rumors about Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 having some sort of common features only make it more exciting.

[Source]

By Akshay Bakshi

Mystery Windows Phone device Nokia 800 and Acer M310 spotted

Star Windows Phone indie developer Elbert Perez is not only famous for his exceptionly well made free games but also for revealing statistics (a post mortem for serious folks) post release. The analytics or the reporting page (as he calls it) shows a list of devices running running his games. He spotted two new devices that we have never heard before. Nokia 800 and Acer M310. Acer M310? Is it a less sophisticated name of previously reported Acer W4 or is this something new coming from Acer? Most importantly, what about Nokia 800? If you remember, Nokia Simplified it's naming conventions, starting with Nokia 500, so this may very well be Nokia's Sea Ray mango device which was unveiled by Stephen Elop some time back.



Source:  @mechaghost 

By Rahul Mathur

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

New XBL Titles for Windows Phone announced at GamesCon 2011 (Video)

GamesCon is underway at Cologne, Germany. Microsoft had a lot to offer at Games Con this year. @majornelson has a complete list of announcement here. Mobile gaming is a big business now and Microsoft knows it. They have announced a total of 14 Xbox Live titles for Windows Phone at Games Con. Here's a trailer showcasing em :

By Rahul Mathur

Meme Generator lets you create and share memes on Windows Phone (Exclusive look at v1.4)

I don't see a lot of meme generators on mobile but when I do, I blog about it! (Sorry, that was horrible). Developer Nash Bansal has created something unique, it's called Meme Generator. It functions similar to the legendary memegenerator.net website - you pick a meme and add a text at both top and bottom of the fixed image. More after the break.


By Rahul Mathur

Monday, August 15, 2011

Which Windows Phone Should I Buy?

A couple weeks ago, I put up a post called My tech dilemma. It was about which operating system was meant for me. I thought a blend of Android's hacking goodies with Windows Phone's awesome UI would keep my posse of selves happy. But through your comments I found that Android wasn't too necessary, even as a secondary operating system (Thanks guys). Despite certain short-comings in the OS, Windows Phone has triumphed over the two overlords of the market in terms of usability and fluidity (at least for me). So, I have decided that I will spend big bucks to get myself a phone that'll keep me hooked on to it as a baby monkey would to her mother, when her mother was swinging from tree to tree.
                   
  

 


























The paradigm of the term 'mobile phone' has evolved in meaning from something like a miniature cordless device to a fad (those sliders and flippers) to the center of technological attention and development. The iPhone was truly a mind-blowing, boundary shattering device. This was the world's first media-centric phone and was quite smart for it's time. Since then, there has been a hundred-fold growth in display, touch-screen, camera and microchip technology. So where do these developments leave the rather voiceless, ignorant and brain-washable consumer? What do all these developments mean to him? And most importantly What is my point in this paragraph? 
All these questions have the same answer (lucky me, huh!). A mobile phone is now a device that is a bit of everything, where everything includes a camera, a software development ecosystem, a media player and also a communication device. So the ideal smartphone is one that can replace your point and shoot camera, your notebook for browsing and allows you to communicate through a variety of social networks, while providing a rich experience to the user.
Since I am interested in a Windows Phone handset, there isn't too much choice. Like many others, I have decided to buy the Nokia Sea Ray or whatever they might call it. There are quite a few reasons and if you follow on you'll find all of them.
Since there is a consistency in the operating system and user experience, the choice will be based on the hardware. The Sea Ray is said to carry on the design of it's doomed cousin, the N9. A single solid block of polycarbonate is used to make this phone. I am not totally convinced by the looks of this device. It might be sturdy, but is nowhere near the aesthetic look of the iPhone or that of those curvaceous HTC devices. Unfortunately it's not as thin as Samsung's devices either, with a considerable waist. But, on the bright side, it's not got breakable glass on both sides and the polycarbonate provides an ideal body for for signal reception. Though it's plastic, it is definitely stronger than Samsung's recycled polyethene phones. The design: it could have been better looking, build quality is pretty much expected to be top notch.
The first thing you would see on getting the phone is the bill. Hopefully, Nokia will keep the surprises to a minimum. Once you get past the bill, and open the box, the display will be sitting in it's convex posture. If it's a 4.0" WVGA screen, pixel density won't be too less keeping text et al sharp and clear*. The display type itself is AMOLED. Known for their perfect blacks and good viewing angles, this is one hell of a looker. To top it of (literally), Nokia is adding it's Clear Black Display (CBD) anti-glare coating on the screen, making it beyond beautiful**. For those unable to understand the beauty of the display, imagine Emma Watson (AMOLED) in a bikini (CBD). This screen is definitely as good as it gets for watching movies and videos for at least two people (You and your lousy neighbor in the plane).
But movies have long stopped being silent. Multi-media is both a Visual and an Audio experience. A good display would be incomplete without good speakers. Thankfully, sound quality is one of Nokia's strong points. Nokia clearly emerges out as the winner, when compared to other OEMs. Samsung doesn't have particularly pleasing speakers and I do NOT want to start on HTC or LG.

The X6 contains a dedicated audio chip, making music sound realistic and recording crystal clear. If Nokia goes down that path, stereo speakers and a dedicated audio chip would be on the Sea Ray (WOOOOT). So the best phone for multi media experience- definitely a Nokia.
 
The camera. Need I say more? An 8MP Carl Zeiss lens and a dual LED flash. Hopefully, Nokia will bring in that uber fast camera software from the  N9 that let's the camera focus in 2.6 seconds Windows Phone devices do take quite a long time to open up the camera, hopefully Nokia will improvise.
This just leaves the internals. This video conforms the SnapDragon ready to roar in it. The N9 comes in a 16GB or 64GB flash storage flavors. Hopefully it will be carried over to the Sea Ray (or whatever it might be called). This leaves the RAM in doubt. The iPod touch has left me bitter: a fast processor coupled with less RAM won't be good. The N9 had 1 generous GB of RAM. Will the Sea Ray (or whatever it will be called) have at least half of that? I wonder?
So in all these criteria it's Nokia who tops the charts. All other OEMs have something or the other missing, either the screen was poor or the camera unreliable or flimsy bodies. This was a good combo (Nokia and Microsoft), let's see if theses two turkeys can make an eagle. Also let us know, if there is anything else you would consider before purchasing your next windows phone device 4G, big batteries, free apples, robots, anything.




*- * means there is a footnote
**- Similar display technology is present in the C6-01, which I have spent considerable time with.

By Sameer

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Guess what? China did block WP7 Marketplace after all.

My last post left more confusion than answers I guess, with Chinese WP7 users having all sorts of problem. Some can't gain access to the Marketplace no matter what, some regained access after rolling back to build 7392 or earlier, some rolled back all the way to build 7008 and still can't download anything.

There were doubts that it's Microsoft trying to block users who are not officially supported out of the game. However, as we've discussed before, it's not likely, because:
1) By IP address filtering, Microsoft will be barring out all US users who are temporarily staying in China.
2) If it's Microsoft doing it, users should have been barred out before the payment step, instead of paying and not being able to download.

Now we have got really solid proof that it's China's Great Firewall working in the dark. As mentioned in this post (Chinese content), by manually assigning a set of DNS servers on the router, a Chinese user could easily get back to the Marketplace and all those apps.

I tried it, and it simply works. That puts all the confusions to an end: China's Great Firewall is again doing DNS hijack, like previously to a million things, Android Market one of them.

However this quick solution can't get everything back on track. Marketplace still doesn't work on 3G, since the carriers are all with the government. They send all their data through the GFW, some even go as far as making certain GFW house rules. There doesn't seem to be a way of configuring DNS servers for 3G connection.

Anyway, beggars can't be pickers. We have lived on this side of the GFW for a long time, and we have learnt to be grateful.

Thanks 0mxfzy0 for working it out.

By Chassit

Friday, August 12, 2011

Windows Phone Mango build 7720 RTM already available on XDA Forums!

XDA, always a step ahead, eh? Today, WPCentral reported about Microsoft employees receiving Mango RTM build which triggered a thread in XDA and user longshot442 did a noble act of posting download link to necessary files required to upgrade to Mango build. More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Windows Phone Mango To Be Unveiled On September 1st? (Update: Joe Belfiore calls it a rumor)

Windows Phone Mango has been one of the hottest topics in rumor land. Mango went into RTM a few weeks ago and was officially launched in Japan. Now certain rumors are hinting at a release in  the IFA extravaganza in Berlin, that is between 1st and 7th September.


IFA is a consumer electronics show, or a one-stop spot for all things tech. Pocketlint has claimed that Microsoft is planning to release its most anticipated update at the extravaganza, providing it a large audience  for the operating system and the handsets by various OEMs. Rumors of devices and sightings of higher numbered Mango builds are definitely playing it nice with this release date. The Nokia device however is said to launch at Nokia's own event in October.

It seems that Mango will only be unveiled at IFA, with the actual updates happening a week or so after the announcement. The update is said to be a gradual one, perhaps like the NoDo one. The update will probably hit phones not tied to any carrier and will be soon followed by the others. This September definitely looks exciting and I don't think many (except Google and Apple) will be singing 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' (song by Green Day).

Update: Joe Belfiore calls it a rumor. We never said it was official, Joe :)


By Sameer

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Stephen Elop responds to user criticism, Asserts that large operators prefer Windows phone

In a series of rather fortunate events, Stephen Elop is suddenly responding to user emails (try sending him one at stephen.elop@nokia.com - don't spam) following the famous Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, footsteps of addressing user concerns via email.
After the news of N9 limited region release went live on the internet, Meego fans all over the world died a little inside. Especially the guys at maemo talk. They were baffled by the news. More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

HD7 Spotted Running Tango Build 8200- On Sale!

 Things are hot in the land of Windows Phone rumors. Although Mango has just gone into RTM stage, rumors are rife about Windows Phone Tango. Tango is expected to be Microsoft's next major update to its Windows Phone platform, expected in fall 2012. Tango is said to be aimed at the Asian market and at pushing Windows Phone in the mid-range price bracket

 An individual, on a Slovakian Facebook page, has caught our attention by saying that he is currently in possession of a HD7 running Windows Phone Tango and is willing to sell it. Incidentally, this is where the last sightings of this mystery Operating system were reported.


 "HTC HD7 16GB (T9292 Schubert) for sale. You can select from three builds of Windows Phone - 7.0.7392, 7.10.7720 (Mango), 7.10.8200 ("Tango"). The first two are stable and functional build, third is dev build (not stable and to continue with official builds you have to flash it using RUUs). Price starts at 150€, you can contact me on my mail which I have on the forums, only through mail, highest price wins, delivery is not included in the price (only express delivery, not post office). In mail, write down which version of the OS you want, RUUs are not included. All accessories, slovak distribution, arrived today :)"


A wild Windows Phone appeared! It has Tango!
 In the image above, if you take a close look at the OS version you will notice that this build was created on July 26, 2011. This is certainly intriguing as this was the time when Mango beta builds were circulating around.

 This certainly puts Tango's credence as Microsoft's big update due next fall. Could it come much earlier? Is Microsoft having secret plans that no one is aware of? Is this all a way to help Nokia get back on it's feet? Interesting days are ahead. Go ahead and buy it if you wish, but remember the old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. And may you get what you want. (from White Collar)



By Sameer

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Samsung Omnia 7 caught running Mango RTM

We spotted the mysterious HTC Mazaa today running WP7 Mango 7720 which is the RTM build. A tipster just sent in an image of About Screen of a Samsung Omnia 7 (GT I8700) device which shows the build number as 7220. Image after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Nokia Closing Symbian Business In North America

With its first Windows Phone in the horizon Nokia has decided to put it's Symbian handsets and other feature phones to rest in North America.
In an Interview with AllThingsD, Chris Weber: President of Nokia's US operations said "When we launch Windows Phones we will essentially be out of the Symbian business, the S40 business, etc." This means the end of all Nokia Symbian phones in the USA, including the business series, the Symbian 3 series and even the feature phones.

Bye Bye!

The Nokia 'Sea Ray' is burdened with the task of revitalizing Nokia's dipping sales, especially in the USA. With carriers unwilling to offer any Symbian phone on contract, users (if any) have to buy them at the full price making it a rather expensive affair. So replacing Symbian with Windows Phone might not be too harmful to them. Is it a brave decision or a dumb one? Well according to Chris According to Weber "The reality is if we are not successful with Windows Phone, it doesn't matter what we do."




Source

By Sameer

WPAPPITUP winner receives HTC Mazaa running Mango RTM ! [Update: HTC Mazaa in action]

Microsoft held a special contest for Dream Spark registered students called WPAppitUp. The idea was simple: make a prototype that impresses Microsoft using Sketchflow Template for Windows Phone and 50 great designs will win a developer device running Mango.

By Rahul Mathur

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

More Windows Phone Tango rumors hit the web

We first covered Windows phone tango some time back. WPCentral uncovered build 8220 (still under development, according to my sources, codenamed Tango, which showed content search across the whole system, similar to Universal search available on iOS. Now Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet revealed some interesting new rumor tid bits from her sources. More after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Wish List for next Windows Phone update codename Tango

Windows phone is certainly turning quite a few heads and is commanding respect from critiques and fanboys alike. Though the OS is packed with features certain necessary functions and features are missing.
I'm not gonna waste your time with the usual 'integrate skype, bring in dual cores, get more apps'. Instead there are a few other vital changes that could enhance the overall user experience and improve functionality. So here's my wish list:

By Sameer

Sunday, August 7, 2011

China blocked WP7 Marketplace? (Updated: more test)

Well, guess most of us know that China always wants to control its entire web traffic. It doesn't want its netizens to see what's "not proper" by the government standard, thus sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook are all blocked by the national internet filter dubbed the "Great Firewall", or "GFW" in short. Along with popular SNS sites there are countless .au, .jp, .tw and .hk domain sites blocked for no apparent reason.

Now joining the rank of "China Hates You Club" might be our Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.

In the past 3 days or so, most Chinese WP7 users in my circle (myself included) had this problem: the Marketplace tile shows a certain number of apps could be updated, but when we click update, the progress bar stays "pending" like forever, then suddenly surge to 100%, and ends up "attention required" fail right away. The ISPs or carriers we had this problem on include:
- Beijing Unicom home ADSL
- Beijing Unicom 3G
- Shanghai Telecom ADSL
- Shanghai Unicom 3G
- China Mobile Fujian division 2G (worked briefly an hour ago and now as dead as a brick again)
- Zhejiang Unicom

Technically it could be the Marketplace itself going nuts. But now I'm sitting in my office where the WiFi is routed through a VPN to the United States. And guess what? All those apps stuck in the updating process last night are now getting updates super fast.

That leads to the conclusion that something went wrong between the Marketplace and our phones: the connection itself.

We are quite positive that WP7 Marketplace has been GFWed by China, although not being 100% sure yet. It's not really a surprise. A couple of years ago when I was an Androider, the Android Market was GFWed by DNS hijack too. We worked around it by tweaking phone HOSTS files and such, but the solution just isn't stable. Maybe for stability's sake, Motorola now rips the Android Market off its phones shipped to China and replaces it with two 3rd party alternatives, one from Moto itself, the other from a Chinese download site.

We don't know if this GFW block will be permanent. But even in the worst case, we believe with Nokia's moving to WP7, it will be lessened. After all, China is still a Nokia country, and Nokia just got ranked the #1 most trusted consumer brand in a national survey not long ago.

Note: Almost every Chinese WP7 user is now on Mango Beta just for the Chinese input's sake. There is a slim chance that the Marketplace problem lies in the Mango Beta server, although from the look of it, Mango Beta and NoDo devices actually shares the same Marketplace server.

Update:

Just tested the Marketplace again on Unicom 3G. Previously overlooked the app-buying process. This is now very frustrating. If this is Microsoft's doing, I think it's already committing business fraud (essentially the same as phishing) and could be brought to the court. The testing result (all done on phone) is:
- Browing the Marketplace: OK
- Searching for apps: OK
- Buying paid apps (checking Live profile and credit card): OK
- Billing: OK
- Downloading what I just paid for: Fail, can't connect to the Marketplace.

By Chassit

Friday, August 5, 2011

Microsoft makes 3 times more money from HTC Android than Windows Phones in Q2

Remember those patents settlements Microsoft and HTC had ? Well, seems like they are starting to pay off as the latest reports show. After HTC released its Q2 results, Horace Dediu, Asymco analyst tweeted that Microsoft would have got $21 million from software licensing on the 1.4 million phones at $15 per handset. Also, it would have gotten $60 million as part of its patent settlement at $5 on the 12.1 million Androids HTC shipped last quarter.


[Source]

By Akshay Bakshi

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Solution Concept for Windows Phone Search button accidents

Ah, capacitive buttons. They have been both a bane and boon for mobile users since their inception. Since, most Windows Phones come with capacitive buttons, their users have their share of woes too. Who hasn't accidentally pressed the search button while watching a video or composing that huge message and been greeted by the Bing app ?

Long Zheng has come up with a simple idea on how this this can be solved. If you keep the capacitive button pressed for more than a specified time (the circle keeps getting filled meanwhile) , the Bing app launches otherwise you return to whatever you were doing. This design is similar to the one found in the MetroTwit app. Zheng would have liked to do the same for the 'back' button but that action is used for multi-tasking in Mango.

[Source]

By Akshay Bakshi

Some projects integrating windows phone with Kinect emerge

Some projects integrating Kinect on the PC and windows phone have begun to appear on the internet.

By Sushovan De

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Google+ application for Windows Phone teased

We have been wrong before about the Google+ official client for Windows Phone 7. Twitter user @kmarshall teased an image of official Google+ application for Windows phone 7. Screen shot of the app in action after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

Monday, August 1, 2011

Nokia's First Windows phone device to make an official appearance on 17th August?

Now here's something interesting. Report is coming in from Unwired that Nokia has a surprise up it's sleeve at Gamescon, which will be held at Cologne, Germany this month. Read more after the break.

By Rahul Mathur

DFT Releases HSPL/RSPL Tool For Custom ROMs on HTC Windows Phones

Last we reported of DFT was when they updated an HTC HD2 to Windows Phone Mango. And just yesterday, they released the HSPL/RSPL tools to flash custom ROMs on  for first generation HTC Windows Phone devices, namely : HTC Mozart, the HTC Surround, the HTC HD7, the HTC Spark/Trophy, and the HTC 7 Pro.

Obviously, beginners should keep away from this but advanced devs can get cracking on their custom ROMs to bring their own flavor to Microsoft's platform. Though Windows Phone hasn't had too much of bloatware yet, it will interesting to see what improvements the custom ROMs bring. DFT has hinted at quicker new releases in the upcoming months as well.

[Source]

By Akshay Bakshi

Rumor Roundup: Second Generation Windows Phone Handsets

Rumors suggest that 2nd Generation handsets are expected to arrive by mid-September. With Mango already in the hands of the manufacturers it's only a matter of time before they flood the Market.
Fujitsu has already unveiled the worlds first 2nd generation handset in Japan and ZTE are expected to follow suite soon.


By Sameer

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