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LastPass app takes the pain out of two-factor sign-ins
Many will tell you that it's wise to use two-factor authentication to lock down your internet accounts. Actually using it, however, is another story -- there's only so many times you can enter passcodes from your phone before you tear your hair out. LastPass thinks it has a better way. It's launching a LastPass Authenticator app for Android, iOS and Windows Phone that softens the blow when you have many accounts. Instead of entering a passcode to get into LastPass, you can have Authenticator send a simple verify button to sign in with one tap.
Here Maps stops supporting Windows devices
We hope you weren't counting on Here Maps to provide directions on your Lumia. Here has announced that it's dropping much of its support for Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile. The company is pulling its apps from Windows 10's app store on March 29th, and a workaround that kept its apps running will stop working after June 30th. The Here apps for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 will continue to work, but you won't get more than "critical bug fixes" from now on.
Windows Phone sales have almost ground to a halt
Gartner has released its smartphone stats for Q4 2015 and the news is especially bad for Microsoft. In Q4 2014, the software giant owned 2.8 percent of the smartphone market -- not great, but still good enough for around 10 million units sold. In the same quarter of 2015, however, Windows Phone sales fell to 4.4 million, giving the OS a mere 1.1 percent of the total market. That means that it's basically in a death spiral, as consumers and app developers alike lose interest. Microsoft's rumored Surface Phone now looks like its last hope to rescue the division.
VAIO's debut Windows 10 phone is prettier than its name suggests
A few years ago, Windows phone tried to make a splash with vibrant colors, sharp contours and unusual palettes. Then things got a little quiet. Now Windows 10 phone is suddenly upon us, and Japanese phone makers are generally keeping colors a little bit more muted, while moving to classier-looking materials. Going toe-to-toe with the textured beauty of the NuAns Neo Windows Phone, here's VAIO's second smartphone. It's called the VAIO Phone Biz, but I'd prefer if you were more distracted by the pretty aluminum shell than the ridiculous name. It's dressed for business, even if no-one's looking to shake hands with a Japan-only (for now) Windows phone.
For some reason, VAIO announces a Windows 10 phone
Japan is getting more Windows Phones. In October, Windows Japan announced that six companies were tackling Windows 10 for mobile, and following the gorgeous NuAns phone, VAIO has revealed its second ever smartphone. (The funny part is that VAIO's once-parent company went so far as to make a Windows Phone slider, but it never saw the inside of a phone store.) Anyhow, here's the VAIO Phone Biz. It's for business use. It's not a slider, and it's launching next month, but only in Japan for now. Let's see if it's worth getting jealous about.
Windows Phone's keyboard is coming to your iPhone
Ask Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile fans about their favorite interface features and they may point to the Word Flow keyboard -- that combination of swiping, word correction and overall feel is hard to replicate. Well, you might not have to pick up a Lumia to get those elusive qualities in the near future. Microsoft is now planning to bring Word Flow to "other platforms," beginning with iOS. Yes, you won't have to ditch that familiar typing experience just because you switched to (or need to use) an iPhone. It's not clear what if anything will change in the conversion, though we'd expect the keyboard to largely remain intact.
Microsofts preps Windows 10 updates for Lumia phones
After Microsoft delayed the release of Windows 10 for Windows Phone 8.1 handsets, there are signs that it's finally ready to roll. The software giant has launched an internal beta for the Mobile Upgrade Advisor for Windows 10, as spotted by a Neowin reader. That's similar to the tool it used last year to prep PC users for Windows 10. According to the description, the app "will tell if your Windows 8.1 phone is eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile. It can also help free up space on your phone so you're ready to upgrade." It's still not available for the public to download, but that situation should change soon.
Microsoft: We need a phone as good as the Surface line
Speaking to Twit's Windows Weekly show, Microsoft's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Chris Capossela has admitted that the company's latest Windows Phones are not enough to reverse the ailing platform's fortunes. Describing the flagship Lumia 950 as simply "solid," he told host Leo Laporte and Microsoft journalists Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott that the company has a lot more work to do before it can persuade people to "move from an iPhone to one of [Microsoft's] phones."
Microsoft delays Windows 10 Mobile upgrade for older Lumias
If you've been itching to try Windows 10 Mobile on your Windows Phone 8.1 device, we've got some bad news. Microsoft says older Lumias won't be upgraded until "early 2016," which is a slight delay from the "December" timeline it had offered before. For the time being, that means the only way to try the new OS is to buy the Lumia 950 or the 950 XL, the former of which received a lukewarm review from our own Chris Velazco. (Well, unless you want to dive in with the Insider Preview, that is.)Microsoft hasn't explained the reasons behind the postponement, although we suspect it's to give its new software some much-needed polish. While testing the Lumia 950, we noticed a number of bugs and performance hiccups that could and should be ironed out. Windows 10 is an important play for Microsoft -- it's now or never if the company wants to gain some mobile market share -- and the first step is to get longtime Windows Phone users on side. That first impression is going to count.In a statement to ZDNet, a Microsoft spokesperson said:"This November we introduced Windows 10 to phones including brand new features such as Continuum and Universal Windows Apps with the introduction of the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. The Windows 10 Mobile upgrade will begin rolling out early next year to select existing Windows 8 and 8.1 phones."It's also unclear exactly which devices will be eligible for the upgrade next year. Microsoft has confirmed that handsets will need at least 8GB of internal storage, but that's about it. The launch and support for older hardware has been a far cry from the desktop version of Windows 10, which is an indication perhaps of where Microsoft's priorities lie.
Uber upgrades Windows app with Cortana, desktop support
You can pick up your phone and call-in a car-on-demand anytime, but what if you're sitting at a desktop PC? Well, now you can do it there, too. Uber announced today that it used the Universal Windows Platform to port its app to full Windows 10 -- making it possible for customers to call cars from their laptops, tablets and desktop computers.
Microsoft Lumia 950 review: Not a flagship, but a first step
After years of misguided attempts at mobile, Microsoft is ready for a fresh start. While Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 mostly just looked like their desktop counterparts, Windows 10 Mobile aspires to something even more substantial. This time, Microsoft tried to build a mobile platform -- and a phone -- that can seriously replicate some of those big-screen experiences. Rather than just peck out emails and rough drafts on the new Lumia 950, Windows 10 makes it possible to connect a keyboard, mouse and display and let Universal apps like Word and Outlook to get more done. Microsoft doesn't think the Lumia 950 is a new phone as much as it a symbol of something new -- a standard-bearer for a kind of mobile computing that won't be contained by a single box in your pocket. Their vision is ambitious, and who knows! They might be right about all of this. For now though, it's clear Microsoft still has plenty of work to do.
Microsoft app tries to lure you from Android to a Windows phone
It's true that Windows Phone (and now Windows 10 Mobile) doesn't have as many apps as Android or iOS. However, the perception of that app deficit may be just as problematic -- why would you switch to a Lumia 950 if you assumed that none of your favorite apps had Windows equivalents? Microsoft clearly isn't happy with this state of affairs, as it just released AppComparison for Android to help set the record straight. The app (a spiritual sequel to the old Switch to Windows Phone) tries to match the Android apps on your phone with their mobile Windows counterparts, either giving you an exact parallel or the next best thing.
Microsoft's Lumia 950 is set for a November 20 launch on AT&T
The wait has been pretty agonizing (for some of you, anyway), but the first batch of Windows 10 phones is almost here. AT&T just announced that it'll be the first -- and possibly only -- carrier in the US to carry the new Lumia 950, which you'll be able order starting tomorrow ahead of a full-blown launch on November 20. Sadly, there's no word on whether AT&T will also carry the slightly bigger, slightly better Lumia 950XL; you might just have to get that thing unlocked straight from Microsoft.
Fallout 4's Pip-Boy is a glorified smartphone case
"The Pip-Boy is an important part of Fallout and we love it so much we made a real one." Those words, delivered by game director Todd Howard at developer Bethesda Softworks' first-ever E3 media briefing this year, triggered cheers around the world. And thus, the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition was born: a $120 special edition peripheral bundled with Fallout 4 that aims to mimic the game's wrist-bound menu and stat-tracking system. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the premium version of the game proved insanely popular, prompting Bethesda to apologize when it couldn't make any more units to meet demand. Not bad for a rather awkward looking piece of light brown plastic that sits on your arm and holds your cellphone. But is it actually worth the hype and high price?
High-end Windows Phones make a comeback with the Lumia 950 and 950 XL
You could be forgiven for forgetting that Windows Phones were ever really a thing -- iOS and Android devices keep making headlines. After all, it's been ages since we got a high-end phone from Microsoft or one of its partners. It was... frustrating to say the least, especially if you were one of those people who fell under the spell of Microsoft's mega-marketing blitz. Now, though, we've got two new high-end Windows Phones -- the Lumia 950 and 950 XL -- ready to bring the best of Redmond's new vision of software straight into our pockets. I spent a little time here in New York City to futz around with both, and one thing seems clear: While the hardware doesn't feel like Microsoft's best, there are plenty of good ideas here.
Microsoft working on fix for phones borked by Windows 10 update
When Microsoft released Windows 10 Mobile build 10536 to Insider users earlier this week, it probably didn't expect it to break user's phones. It did. Turns out,the update was only meant for certain devices, but a device check glitch allowed non-support devices to see, download and apply the new build. That's bad -- but Microsoft is trying to fix it.
Microsoft wants you to scan in 3D using only your phone
If you want to do some 3D scanning, you usually have to get either a dedicated scanner or a less-than-elegant add-on. Microsoft Research and the University of Oxford think there's a better way, though. Their MobileFusion project captures 3D models using only an app on your smartphone. The software scans objects by comparing image frames from your phone's camera and creating stereo depth maps from the results -- you just have to walk around an object to get more detail. It's much like Kinect Fusion, but you're not tied to either a PC or a clunky peripheral.
Lumia Camera works on non-Microsoft phones, with a catch
Microsoft vowed earlier this year that Lumia Camera would become the default camera app on all Windows 10 phones, but you won't have to wait for the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade to give it a shot. The company has released a version of Lumia Camera that should run on any Windows Phone 8.1 device, not just those with Microsoft or Nokia badges. However, there's a big gotcha. As Windows Central warns, you won't get Rich Capture features like high dynamic range -- unfortunately, those are still the domain of recent Lumia handsets. You may see crashing, too, which hints that this wasn't quite ready for prime time. Even so, you're getting Windows Phone's best-known photography app on your device of choice. It could be worth putting up with a few bugs to get early access.
Microsoft's supersized Lumia 640 XL comes to AT&T
Microsoft might have given the boot to device leader Stephen Elop, but it's still going full steam ahead with its Windows phone launches. AT&T has announced that it will carry the Lumia 640 XL, giving the carrier its first gigantic Windows handset (5.7 inches, to be exact) since the Lumia 1520 quietly left the roster. This isn't a high-end phone by any stretch -- the Snapdragon 400 chip, 8GB of expandable storage and 720p display were old a year ago. The 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras are nothing to sneeze at in the budget class, though, and the 3,000mAh battery should last a long while with this low-powered hardware. More importantly, the price is right. AT&T's version of the 640 XL will arrive on June 26th for free on a two-year contract, $12.50 per month on a 20-payment Next plan and $250 up front. If you're just interested in getting a giant screen at a tiny price, this might hit the spot.
BitTorrent Shoot shares photos and videos between platforms
It's not that hard to exchange pics and videos these days -- you can just attach them to emails or forward them via messaging apps. BitTorrent is hoping you'd still be willing to pay for an app designed to send and receive media files though, because it's just released one called "Shoot." The application is based on BT's Sync technology, and it can send and receive messages between platforms. It works quite differently from what you might be used to: clicking Send opens up your gallery, where you can choose multiple images and videos. The app will then generate a QR code that any user who clicks Receive can scan to download your files.
