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Nokia Drive gets full offline access, Maps / Transport also updated
For the smattering of hardcore argonauts on staff here at Engadget (guilty as charged), we've clung tightly to Android when it came time to navigate on the move. Why? Google Maps Navigation, that's why. To date, there's simply no better all-around navigational app from a global perspective -- one that gets updated daily in the cloud gratis, and one that provides at least basic roadways in pretty much every nation that's fit to visit. Slowly but surely, Nokia and Windows Phone have been building a formidable opponent, and today's updates to Nokia's trifecta of navigational tools might be just the thing Google loyalists needed to cast a glance in Microsoft's direction.For starters, Nokia Drive is seeing a monumental update -- one that supports a completely offline experience. Anyone who has traveled overseas and been forced to find a local SIM (or worse, eat roaming charges) in order to navigate understands just how crucial this addition is, and we're hoping that Nokia's inclusion will force Google to take its own offline offering to the next level. Moving right along, Nokia Maps has seen an update that makes sharing favorites a bit easier, and you'll also get live traffic in a slew of countries. Public commuters will appreciate the overhauled Transport app, which is now capable of providing walking / mass transit directions for over 510 cities in 46 countries. The new kit is available in the Windows Phone Marketplace today for those lucky enough to own a Lumia.
BBC iPlayer app finally launches for all UK Xbox 360s
All of those Kinect-enabled Xbox 360 video apps Microsoft has been promising since last year's dashboard update continue to slowly leak out, and the latest is the BBC iPlayer. Already long available on the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3, UK gamers finally have access to the catalog of titles on any major console they choose. The Xbox 360 supports HD streams and, of course, voice and gesture control courtesy of that little add-on, however unlike many of the services on Microsoft's box, this one is available to all users with or without an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Platforms that are next up for iPlayer's blessing? Sky AnyTime+ is confirmed for later this year while a Windows Phone 7 is reportedly being developed. Check after the break for a couple more shots of the interface, plus a video demo for users on the appropriate side of the pond.
Microsoft lowers hardware requirements, opens Marketplace to 23 more countries
If there was a theme for today's Nokia keynote, and, by extension, Microsoft's plans for Windows Phone, it's that the OS is being targeted toward lower-spec phones worldwide. The SDK update that'll soon roll out to developers will include an emulator for developers to ensure their apps work on devices like the Lumia 610 that only has 256MB RAM. The company's promising that nearly all apps will work on the cheaper hardware, promising that fragmentation will be kept to a minimum. Any app that runs poorly on the slimmer hardware will be flagged as unsuitable in the Marketplace. Speaking of which, Microsoft has announced it'll be rolling it out to a further 23 countries shortly including China, the UAE and much of Eastern Europe -- increasing the total market reach by up to 60 percent.
Nokia announces Nokia Reading at MWC 2012, brings content together, makes it available offline
Among the many goodies Nokia unveiled in its presser at MWC 2012 is a new hub for consuming your favorite written content. Called Nokia Reading, it brings your news feeds, ebooks, and audio books together in a unified, digital magazine-like format that can be accessed on- or offline. The app also provides access to local language content where available and shows you breaking news via Live Tile. It is, quite naturally, available to all Nokia WP7 handsets beginning in April, and the best part? It's free.
Skype app launches beta version on Windows Phone Mango and up (video)
In the midst of this week's mobile madness, Skype has announced that its finally ready to arrive on its good friend's mobile platform. Yes, Windows Phone is getting its very own Skype app -- at least, a beta version. Compatible devices include the Nokia Lumia 710, Lumia 800, HTC Titan, Radar, Samsung Focus S and Focus Flash. A spokesperson has told us that the app will be available on most devices running Windows Phone 7.5 and above. This early version will allow free audio and video calls over WiFi or 3G, alongside those any-number paid-for calls. There's a brief video overview right after the break and the beta's available to download now.
Bing's two new 'death to print, death to retail' features get detailed
Ever felt like Bing wasn't for retail stores or print journalism? The two latest Windows Phone updates won't dispel that fantasy, sadly. Bing Vision been update so it can read Barcodes, CD, DVD and Book Covers so you can find out how much cheaper the item in your hand is if ordered online. Image Matching for Newspapers won't arrive until March, but you'll be able to snap a photo of an article you've seen in a local rag and, if its in Microsoft's database, you'll be linked directly to the original version of the article online. That's brick and mortar retail and newspapers taken care of, we'll be waiting around to see what's next on Bing's hit-list -- orphanages, probably.
Engadget Giveaway: win one of five Nokia Lumia 710s on T-Mobile, courtesy of Nokia!
Last week we launched our weekly giveaway with a killer device, and for week two we're following up with another solid offering. Our friends at Nokia are showing up big, offering not one but five T-Mobile branded Lumia 710 units for our lucky readers! Indeed, we'll be picking out five winners and shipping one out to each. So head on below to leave a comment, and good luck!Note: You'll definitely want to read the fine print this time around, as there are a few caveats: the Lumia 710s being given out are strictly locked to work with T-Mobile US SIMs, and service is not coming with the prizes.
LG Miracle appears in real life, we start to believe
LG's smartphone workshop is keeping itself busy. Alongside the manufacturer's attempt to out-Note Samsung, its latest Windows Phone has resurfaced. A kindly mole has offered some better focused (but unfortunately watermarked to heck) shots of LG's first Mango-laced Windows Phone. Skinnier that we expected, we can now make out a front-facing camera, paired up with a rear-facing five-megapixel primary shooter on the back. It's still a prototype, judging by that not-so-subtle "not for sale" etching on the back, but expect the Miracle -- when it does go official -- to match those middleweight credentials leaked so far.
Nokia reveals polarizing secrets of ClearBlack display
Nokia's revealing the secrets behind ClearBlack: its display technology that, even under the brightest sunlight, renders black as black as blackest night during a dark spell. Wedged above the E7, Lumia 800 and 900 displays are three thin layers, a linear polarizer, a quarter-wave retardation film and a reflecting surface. When light enters the first layer, it vertically aligns the "wave vibration" of the light so when it hits the retardation layer, it begins to rotate towards the right. Hitting the reflecting surface causes it to reverse, becoming left-circularly polarized before passing through the retardation later again, where it polarizes horizontally. This enables the polarizing filter up top to screen out horizontally polarized light, meaning it doesn't reflect back in your face. Why (we hear you ask) then doesn't it happen with the light from the display itself? Because it only passes through the second half of the process, it doesn't become horizontally aligned, leading to that beautifully dark display reaching your peepers. It's a clever and elegant solution that we can't help but be impressed at, even if we've used up the world's supply of the word 'polarize' in order to explain to you.
NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds
According to the latest research from the NPD group, Apple has got its second wind in smartphone sales. In the same quarter that saw the iPhone 4S reinvent the wheel obey our every vocal whim, the trio of available models soaked up a total of 43 percent of the US smartphone market in Q4 2012, apparently gnawing away at Android's market share of 53 percent held during the rest of 2011. However, Google's mobile OS appears to be the debutante smartphone of choice, cornering 57 percent of new purchases, with 34 percent going for Apple. The remaining 9 percent is distributed between the smartphone also-rans, with the likes of Windows Phone and BlackBerry languishing in that anonymous grey bar at the top. The top five handsets from NPD's Mobile Phone Track service is an Apple and Samsung love-in, with iOS devices claiming the three top spots, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S II (we assume collectively) and the Galaxy S 4G. NPD's blow-by-blow commentary on this increasingly two-horse race awaits below.
Nokia clarifies battery update on Lumia 800, promises audio / camera fixes soon
Nokia already came clean about the Lumia 800 battery bug, but evidently that just wasn't enough to appease the masses. A community manager in the outfit's own forums has just responded to pages upon pages of comments regarding the most recent update, partly to (re)set the record straight regarding the battery, and partly to address more fixes that are just around the bend. The latest update (1600.2483.8106.11500) was meant to "enhance standby time as well as to bring an improvement to the issue reported by some customers in December," and according to Nokia, said update does indeed address those problems. However, folks that still have concerns regarding audio and camera settings aren't being ignored; those quirks will be worked out in "a series of future updates." Eager to learn more? The full reply is embedded just after the break.
HTC Titan II works its charm on the FCC with AT&T LTE included
What's that? An HTC PI86100 Windows Phone with AT&T-specific LTE (bands 4 and 17) showing up in the hallowed halls of the FCC? Why, this must be the Titan II, announced a tad over a fortnight ago. Docs show that a production unit of the device, sporting the aforementioned LTE bands as well as 850 / 1900 3G (also AT&T compatible), is ready to take on its new Windows Phone competition sometime soon. Is it a guarantee that the phone is nigh at hand? Not quite, but at least it signifies that the 16 megapixel beast is one step closer to showing up in our hands.
Windows Phone 7.5 gets multiple Google Calendar sync, additional Gmail features
Google's improved how its calendar and email services interact with Windows Phones running the Mango update. Users can now cram up to 25 different calendars into the Metro OS's built-in calendar app. The setup's not exactly seamless; you need to navigate your Windows Phone to the Google Sync page, login and check the boxes found there. While testing on our phones, although one device was able to immediately sync, the other couldn't pick up on our multiple calendars. We had to delete and re-assign our Google account to the phone in order to get it working. However, once we did, the Metro styling lent itself well to multiple calendar listings, with the ability (like the web-based Google Calendar) to assign colors to each. At the same Google Sync page, you can now choose to enable the "send mail as" feature if you're using multiple addresses, with the option to delete unwanted emails instead of archiving. However, aside from replying from the same address that you received emails to, we haven't discovered a way to assign new mails to our multiple guises. We were able to send messages through our own Engadget mail account, although that's then used on all future missives. Despite these rough edges, it remains a welcome bit of extra functionality. Are we still longing for a dedicated Gmail app? Definitely. We just hope those devs don't drop the ball.
Kinect and Windows Phone combine to create holographic game engine (video)
If your life is anything like ours, it's in sore need of more pseudo-holographic helicopters. Fortunately, YouTube user programming4fun has come up with a solution, using Microsoft's Kinect beta SDK and a Windows Phone handset. The system, pictured above, basically consists of a Kinect and a 3D engine; the former tracks the position of a viewer and automatically adjusts the image projected by the latter, creating the illusion of a 3D landscape. In this case, that landscape happened to feature a holographic helicopter, which could be controlled using a phone's accelerometer and a Windows Phone 7 app (apparently called HoloController). Watch it in action, after the break.
Murtazin: 'Nokia Lumia 910 will arrive in May, pack 12MP camera'
Ah, Eldar Murtazin. Sometimes he's (sort of) right, sometimes he's wrong. But he managed to predict the Nokia-WinPho love-in ahead of any official announcement and that still counts for something, right? His latest missive concerns the news of the Lumia 900's likely summer-time flight across the Atlantic. While it's not going to tout the LTE radios of the American edition, Eldar's more concerned about a phone that no-one's yet heard of. Yes, the Lumia 910, which according to the thorn in Nokia's side, will land in the old country sometime in May -- ahead of the posited June launch for the Lumia 900 in the UK. Murtazin is keeping any other details close to his chest for now, aside from the tantalizing mention of a whopping 12 megapixel camera. We know that Nokia knows exactly how to craft a good cameraphone, but we're keeping this rumor firmly in the maybe-could-be-possibly camp, right next to the salt mines.
Lumia 900 hits Carphone Warehouse, possibly coming to the UK in June (update: no)
We bet some of you over in the UK were just a wee bit little jealous when it was revealed that we here in the good ol' U-S-of-A would be getting first dibs on the Lumia 900 (a little payback for keeping the 800 all to yourselves). Well, lucky for you, we're not so greedy and you'll get your own shot at Nokia's latest and greatest... eventually. Carphone Warehouse has the dual-camera sporting Mango phone listed as "coming soon" with an expected launch date of June 2012. These plans are clearly still unofficial at the moment, but you can sign up for more info from the outlet as it becomes available. The biggest question, though, is whether or not the Lumia 900 will ship with LTE on board. The product page makes no mention of 4G and, with compatible networks still in trial stages at best, we wouldn't get our hopes up. Still, even without "blazingly fast" downloads, the front-facing cam, RGB matrix screen and beefy battery present plenty of reason for excitement.Update: Or maybe not. It looks like Carphone Warehouse has since pulled its Lumia 900 pre-registration page. Perhaps -- and take this with a serious grain of salt -- they're making room for the non-LTE 12 megapixel Lumia 910?
ZTE pays Microsoft around $27 for each Windows Phone made
How much does it cost to license Microsoft's latest and greatest mobile OS? A fair bit it seems. While numbers have been bandied around before, this is the first time a per-handset figure was to an internal employee -- this time, the portfolio manager for ZTE UK, no less. Pegged at $27 per ZTE smartphone, TrustedReviews managed to get those licensing beans spilled at the glitzy London launch of the company's first Windows Phone, the ZTE Tania. The fee flies in the face of open-source Android, which requires no price to install on handsets. Microsoft, however, is still keeping an eye on its Google rival, collecting patent licensing fees from several major phone manufacturers. ZTE hasn't yet commented on the figure.
ZTE Tania arrives in the UK: a budget phone for budget buyers
ZTE's showing off its new global ambitions, the OEM-smartphone maker brought a party bus to London and asked Professor Green (everyone's favorite nasally-challenged Grime MC) to spread the word about the Tania. It's a modestly-kitted 4.3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) Windows Phone, erm, phone, that's running Mango on a single-core 1GHz chip, 512MB of RAM and 4GB internal storage. 'Round back there's a five megapixel camera, but sadly nothing up top for impromptu video calling. It'll be available on contract on second-tier operators like Virgin Mobile, Brightpoint and Go Mobile for "around" the £10 - £20 per-month price range, but word on the street is that it'll be available to purchase for a none-too-painful £250 ($390).
Sprint remains tepid on Windows Phone at CES, confirms no new WiMAX phones are planned
This may have been a fairly big CES for Windows Phone, but it looks like Microsoft still has a fair bit of convincing to do in order to bring all the carriers fully on board. That includes Sprint, which does currently have a Windows Phone in its lineup (and is apparently considering more in the "August-September time period"), but remains decidedly unenthusiastic about the platform as a whole. As PCMag reports, Sprint's David Owens said that the carrier is willing to train its reps on Windows Phone, but that Microsoft has to "build the enthusiasm for the product," adding that the "number-one reason the product was returned was the user experience." Sprint's director of product development, Lois Fagan, further added that the carrier remains "cautiously optimistic," but that Windows Phone "just hasn't taken off." In other news, Owens also confirmed that Sprint would expectedly now be focusing all of its intention on its new LTE network, and not produce any more WiMAX-based phones -- although, as it's noted previously Sprint will continue to support the network itself through 2015.
CES 2012: Smartphones round-up
The Superbowl of smartphones? Why, that would be Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month. But that didn't stop the mobile industry's heavy hitters from giving us a taste of the year in wireless to come at CES. With Windows Phones finally getting LTE, Intel's Medfield CPU making its handset debut, Sony synergizing under its mega brand umbrella and fringe manufacturers wowing attendees with stock Ice Cream Sandwich and super-thin profiles, it appears phone aficionados have plenty to anticipate. So, while you sit slack-jawed in front of that computer screen, let's revisit some of the highlights of this past week.
