Windows Phone 7
Latest
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.
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.
XBLIG Companion app available now for Windows Phone
The Xbox Live Indie Games Companion app we first reported earlier this month is now available on Windows Phone. The app allows for easy browsing of Xbox Live Indie Games, including information, screens and links for each game. The app will even point users to Xbox Live Marketplace, where XBLIG demos or even full games can be purchased directly from their phone. Honestly, the XBLIG Companion looks like a much easier way of finding indie games than on Xbox Live Marketplace itself.Windows Phone users can nab the app now for the reasonable price of no dollars. Developer Eat Studios notes that iOS and Android versions of the app "should be available in the near future."
Cave's Dodonpachi Maximum coming to Windows Phone on March 7
Apparently not satisfied with bringing bullet hell madness only to iOS devices, Cave has announced a new Dodonpachi for Windows Phone. Entitled Dodonpachi Maximum, the game brings features ships and enemies from both Dodonpachi Blissful Death and Dodonpachi Resurrection.Weapons are fired automatically, leaving players only with the task of lining up their shots and navigating Maximum's many, many bullets. Thankfully, the game also features adjustable difficulty for less nimble fingers. Dodonpachi Maximum will be available March 7 for $5.%Gallery-149509%
Portabliss: Chickens Can't Fly (WP7)
Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Chickens Can't Fly. Chickens Can't Fly for Windows Phone 7 isn't a unique game, but it executes its simple design well. You control the direction of a falling chicken by tilting your device and flap the chicken's wings by tapping and holding the screen, slowing its descent to avoid obstacles and reach the bottom of the screen.Scoring is based on the collection of corn kernels, which give you a medal rating at the end of each randomly generated level. As Chickens Can't Fly progresses, new objectives are added and more dangerous obstacles are thrown into the mix. What begins as a mindless excercise quickly becomes both challenging and strangely rewarding, at least at first.%Gallery-148764%
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.
