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Facebook for Windows Phone getting a major refresh
The Facebook app for Windows Phone is certainly serviceable, but it's never really been anything to get excited about. In fact, it wasn't really something you looked forward to using and it's been slow to add the features considered standard on competing mobile platforms. Well, with the soon to land version 2.5, that capability gap will get quite a bit smaller. It hasn't hit the Marketplace yet, but when it does it'll bring support for group chats, threaded messaging, tagging in posts and the ability to like or delete not only posts but comments as well. The photo pages have also gotten a visual refresh and you can now tap on links in posts to go straight to the relevant content. For a few more details hit up the source, and keep checking the Marketplace for updates -- Facebook Microsoft promises it won't be long now. Update: We mistakenly attributed development of the app to Facebook when, in fact, Microsoft is the developer of Facebook for Windows Phone.
Skype for Windows Phone working on Nokia Lumia 610, scoffs at memory restrictions
Remember the unfortunate news that Skype's new Windows Phone app wasn't compatible with low-memory devices? Well, the app is now working fine with the incoming Nokia Lumia 610. After "some challenges early on", Nokia tells us that the app is primed for use when the entry-level Windows Phone eventually hits Asian store at the end of April. Now one problem remains; which color?
Nokia Lumia 610 headed to the (Pacific) 'Ring of Fire' in coming months for €189
The Lumia 610 is a colorful thing, going on sale, in the Firery Ring. Bound by tepid desire, it's about to launch in the Ring of Fire. It's about to launch in the burning Ring of Fire. Sales are down, down, down, and the burning platform feels higher. But it's going on sale, sale, sale, in the Ring of Fire. And also China. The full press release is after the break.
Touchpad Free adds Windows 8 gestures to its WP7 app
There's no shortage of apps that let you use your mobile phone as a touchpad for your computer, but Touchpad Free is the first we've heard of that adds explicit support for Windows 8 gestures. The remote pointer app should allow your Mango-powered device to play nice with that preview copy of Win 8 you've been running since it hit the web, complete with the multitouch gestures that are key to navigating the metro interface. To get it up and running you'll have to install a small server app on your PC which you can find at the source. Follow the second source link and you'll come upon Touchpad Free itself. Neat huh? Well, what are you waiting for, go check it out.
Windows Phone 8 reportedly coming to 'all' WP smartphones (updated)
We've heard it rumored, but this is as close to an official confirmation as we've seen. Windows Phone 8, affectionately known as Apollo 'round these parts, will reportedly be available on every single Windows Phone device to ever ship. Let that sink in a second. Now that you've been appropriately wowed, we'll point you to the video just after the break, which shows a Microsoft spokesperson affirming that "all" devices -- including those first-generation handsets from LG and Samsung -- will be included in the WP8 rollout. No details regarding timing were revealed -- and it remains to be seen if this will prove true in the States, where carriers have just as much say on updates as the OEMs -- but you can consider us cautiously optimistic in the meantime. Update: Hard to say if wires have been crossed, but The Verge is reporting that while apps are included in the upgrade path, the spokesperson here may have been incorrect in his assumptions that devices will be upgraded in due time. At this point, we're left to wait for Microsoft to clear things up. So, Microsoft -- care to clarify?
Ceton previews DVR companion apps on Android and iOS, teases Echo beta 'soon'
A quick stop by the Intel pavilion here at NAB 2012 revealed our friends from Ceton hiding within, and even though we just saw the Q DVR and Echo companion extender on our last trip to Vegas a few months ago, there's a few new items to show already. As shown above, the mobile companion app that we had only seen so far on Windows Phone 7 is also up and running on Android and iOS. While the apps are still very early in their development they're already running smoothly with metadata provided by Rovi and the usual set of features for DVR scheduling and management. Each one is designed specifically for the platform it's running on, rather than pulling the same UI from one device to all. This seems like a good approach to us, but Ceton's looking for feedback from potential users about what they might prefer. Speaking of potential users -- all those interested in this hardware should keep an eye out as we're told that the plan is to have a beta for the DTS-compatible Echo extender "soon", likely within a few weeks.
ChevronWP7 officially closes up shop for good, hands out App Hub memberships
We were a tad disappointed when ChevronWP7 stopped handing out unlock token for Windows Phones in early January, only two months after launching. But, we held out hope that one day the shop might reopen its doors and once again offer a cheap option to those of us that wish to free our WP7 devices from Microsoft's shackles. Sadly, that dream is officially dead, as ChevronWP7 has been shuttered for good. On the plus side, current customers will be rewarded with a one-year membership to Microsoft's App Hub -- currently the only legit way to unlock your Windows Phone. So, we're sad to see ChevronWP7 go but, if you were lucky enough to score a token before the 10,000 available sold out, you got a pretty sweet deal in paying $9 for a $99 App Hub membership. Hit up the source link for full details.[Thanks, Joe]
Is Windows Phone 8 popping up on a WP7 App?
The "I'm a WP7" app is now showing records of both Windows Phone 8 Apollo (build 8.0.9662.0) and Windows 8 Desktop Jupiter (6.2.8288.0) emulators. It seems to tie in with rumors that software testing for the mobile OS was ramped up on March 30th in anticipation for release later this year. WP8 will bring a host of long-desired features to its battle with Android and iOS, including multiple screen resolutions, dual-core CPUs, NFC and microSD support. Now we can start wildly speculating on which Greco-Roman God / Battlestar Galactica character will lend its name to future software builds.
Some Nokia Lumia 900 handsets having trouble connecting to data networks
Nokia's latest Lumia, the 900, has been rightfully lauded for its low price and lovely polycarbonate shell, but apparently, all is not well with the new handset. According to forum posts on Nokia Support Discussions and elsewhere, some 900s aren't able to connect to any of AT&T's data networks. The affected phones get data reception initially, but once the connection is severed by turning the phone off or placing it in airplane mode, it fails to reconnect. Some have successfully solved the problem by removing the SIM, performing a master reset, shutting the phone off, reinserting the SIM and turning it back on. However, it looks like that solution isn't working for everyone. It seems the problem has appeared in a limited number of Lumias, so we've asked AT&T about the issue and are awaiting an official response on the matter while it investigates. In the meantime, let us know in the comments if your 900's data deprived, or if it's been loving LTE without interruption.
Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices
If your smartphone Sunday lacks the holiday flair you were hoping for, Microsoft is serving up a basket full of economically priced Easter eggs. Seven Xbox Live Windows Phone games have shed their premium pricing for the weekend, letting patient gamers pick up titles like Angry Birds and Max and the Magic Marker for the standard 99 cents. Other titles in the hitherto unannounced sale include Burn the Rope, Doodle God, Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp, IonBallEX and De Blob. Just in time for folks who need more than bunny-shaped GPS routes to celebrate Easter.
PSA: Nokia Lumia 900 available today
Did our thorough Lumia 900 review convince you that a mix of polycarbonate hardware and Metro UI is where your smartphone future lies? Well, it's time to head to your nearest AT&T vendor because Nokia's latest effort to break America is here. Just don't forget those 100 bucks.
'Leaked' Nokia Lumia PureView concept images brandish bright colors, chunky profile
Take the smartphone camera sensor that was the toast of MWC, add in the burgeoning Windows Phone platform and this might be what you might get. Although we hope -- and suspect -- that it isn't. Sneaking out from China with some judicious pixelation, the phones look pretty... dynamic. With a profile more often associated with those tough, rubberized feature phones, the color gamut of black, magenta and yellow is at least very new-generation Nokia. But, if the concept hardware wasn't incredulous enough, wait 'til you hear the specs. A neat paragraph on one slide explains that this Lumia PureView would feature a 4.3-inch curved high-definition touchscreen (a first for Windows Phone), a dual-core process with an Adreno 320 GPU (yet another first) and Nokia's intriguing 41-megapixel camera sensor peeping out from behind a Carl Zeiss lens. We're looking at these renders through some high-prescription skeptic goggles and reckon it's an unlikely new direction for Nokia's hardware design. However, that's not to say a tie-up between Nokia's PureView tech and Microsoft isn't somewhere along the pipeline...
ComScore: Android's US market share passes 50 percent, BlackBerry OS and WP7 slide
Another month, another round of ComScore's US mobile studies. For the three-month average period ending in February 2012, 234 million Americans age 13 and older were found to be using mobile devices, with Samsung having its products in the hands of 25.6 percent of the American mobile market. Behind it came LG (19.4 percent, dropping from 20.5 percent), Apple (13.5 percent, a 2.3 percentage point increase), Motorola (12.8 percent, down from 13.7 percent) and HTC (6.3 percent, a 0.4 percentage point increase).Overall, 104 million people were deemed smartphone owners, representing a full four million person uptick since just last month. Over on the platform side, Android managed to surge from 46.9 percent in November of 2011 to 50.1 percent, while Apple rose from 28.7 percent to 30.2 percent at the expense of RIM and Microsoft; those two managed to lose between two and three percent of their market share over the same period, but we're guessing the tide will turn for Microsoft as soon as that hotly-anticipated Lumia 900 gets to shipping. Eager for more charts and call signs? Head on down to the source.
LG LS831 goes back to FCC, reveals 5MP camera, Sprint intentions
Sprint's been kept pretty quiet on the Windows Phone front, but it looks like the Now Network is getting back into the game. Well, at least soon. The LG LS831 has made a return visit to the FCC, this time showing some visible hardware. That includes a Sprint-only 800MHz CDMA radio (with support for 1900 MHz), a front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel primary shooter on the back. Now that the FCC's given its nod of approval, we can start the guessing game for what Sprint will eventually christen the device.
Ceton's Q DVR companion app for Windows Phone gets detailed tour (video)
You might recall Ceton's Q DVR making its debut at the start of the year and now the beans have been spilled on the multiroom recorder's companion app. The Windows Phone 7 version separates out into home, television and recent screens. The home section houses galleries and search, while television will display scheduled recordings, channel guides and management options for those upcoming shows. Finally, the recent screen keeps tabs on what you've been watching or recording last, all done in that inimitable metro style. There's no launch date yet, but Android and iOS versions are also being readied for release. You can take a video tour of the features right after the break.
Plex Media Server beta adds DLNA support, streams to PS3, Xbox 360, WP7 and more
Using Plex as your media server software is great, with its ability to organize and transcode media for playback on a variety of devices, but what about platforms that still lack a compatible client? The freshest beta version of Plex Media Server fixes that by supporting DLNA, making it compatible right out of the box with many of the HDTVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles and other connected devices released recently. There are some limitations when it's being used this way in terms of metadata and subtitle support, but we're pretty sure being able to access Plex at all from devices like the PS3 (as shown above), Xbox 360 and WDTV Live (the profiles it's been tested with so far) is worth it. Also featured in the beta is support for Silverlight Smooth Streaming, which comes in handy for the new Windows Phone 7 client app (Update: If you're not seeing it yet don't worry you're not alone, it's been approved by Microsoft and should be live soon, check the forum thread and blog post linked below for more information). Check out the blog post for all the details or just head to the download page to try it out yourself if you're on a Windows PC or Mac -- Linux builds are still being tested.
Dell leaves its US phone plans blank after ending sales of the Venue and Venue Pro here
While Dell may still be releasing Streaks and Venues in other countries, a company spokesman tells PC World that its last remaining phone stateside, the Venue and Venue Pro are no longer on sale. While the short lifecycle of mobile products was cited in the pair's time with us drawing to a close, the lack of replacements means Dell is out of the smartphone game in this country less than two years after entering with the Aero and Streak 5. While the spokesperson confirmed Dell would introduce more mobile devices in the US later this year, they could not say whether or not phones would be among them. We're not sure what the reboot of its product lines will entail -- other than a lack of connection to departed section head Ron Garriques -- but at least it still has those Thunder, Smoke, Lightning and Flash names in their pocket whenever something new arrives.
Oh hey, AT&T's White Lumia 900
On AT&T? Couldn't imagine what a White Nokia Lumia 900 would look like with Ma Bell's branding on it? Then feast your eyes on the picture above. Just remember, it's not arriving on April 8th like its Cyan and Black cousins. A phone that stylish requires you to patiently wait until the 22nd.
AT&T confirms HTC Titan II to join Lumia 900 on April 8th for $200 (video)
Looking to pick up a Windows Phone handset on Big Blue? You might want to sit tight for a few days. AT&T has just confirmed to us that the HTC Titan II will be hitting the carrier's U.S. stores on April 8th, the same day that the Lumia 900 is set to ship. HTC's flavor will retail for double the price of Nokia's new flagship, priced at $199.99, and takes the award for highest megapixel count, thanks to its 16MP backside-illuminated sensor with an f/2.6 AF lens in tow. It also includes a 1730mAh removable battery and a familiar design that's nearly identical to its predecessor. We were quite impressed with that camera during our test at CES, however, so if you're looking to replace your first-gen Titan with a very capable cameraphone, this may be your best bet. Jump past the break for our hands-on.
Windows Phone launches in China today (updated)
Microsoft China has finally christened its first Windows Phone. The HTC Triumph (or Titan, or even Eternity, according to the official Windows Phone Blog) is out, brandishing a 4.7-inch display and double camera setup. The phone arrives unlocked and apparently loaded up with "a slew" of popular native apps. We'll be taking a look at those once we've got our hands on this regional variant. We've included a few screengrabs of the Chinese language UI after the break.Update: Looks like something got lost in translation with Microsoft's official blog -- the Triumph isn't yet on sale. Expect to see it on Chinese store shelves on March 28th.
