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Nokia Lumia 521 bringing Windows Phone 8 pizazz exclusively to T-Mobile
Neither Nokia nor T-Mobile USA are spilling too many beans on the Lumia 521, but needless to say, it's heading exclusively to Señorita Magenta in the near future. Announced in a blurb here at Mobile World Congress, the Windows Phone 8 handset will connect to T-Mob's HSPA+ network, and the carrier swears that it'll "embody a range of high-end features at an affordable price." Of course, additional details -- including device availability and specifics on pricing -- are being kept under wraps until a heretofore undefined date. We'll be sure to share more as we hear of it.
Nokia Lumia 520 announced, ready to bring WP8 and dual-core to emerging markets for $180
At Mobile World Congress, Nokia has announced the Lumia 520, its latest piece of ammunition in the company's campaign to conquer emerging markets and first-time smartphone buyers. The inexpensive smartphone actually packs a pretty powerful punch for its price point, offering the same dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon CPU found in the Lumia 720 also announced today. It also features 512MB RAM, a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) IPS LCD display and 1,430mAh battery. As we've come to expect on Lumia devices, it comes included with Nokia services like the full suite of Here Maps, Nokia Music and several lenses such as Cinemagraph and panorama. The 520 will come in five color options: cyan, yellow, red, black and white. Snap-on covers will also be available for anyone interested in swapping hues day-to-day. The $183 phone begins its quest for dominance in China later this quarter, and shortly afterward it will make its way to Europe, the rest of Asia and T-Mobile in the US. Head below for a full listing of specs.
Nokia confirms Windows Phone 7.8 coming to the UK today, prices Lumia 620 at £149.99
Brits who ground their fingers to stumps hammering their Lumia's update button will finally be able to rest, as Nokia UK has confirmed that Windows 7.8 is rolling out today. The company has also revealed O2's pricing for the Lumia 620, the handset that'll bring Windows Phone 8 to the cash-strapped masses. It's available from today on the oxygen-themed network, setting you back £149.99 or free on contracts priced over £18.50. Normally, the interchangeable back plates would cost around £20, but O2 is offering buyers a choice of a yellow, orange, green, white or cyan model for free. You'll also be able to pick up the quirky handset from ThreeUK and Virgin Media today, although neither has opened up about pricing just yet. Vodafone has announced that it'll launch the phone on February 6th with a choice of white or black covers, while EE has yet to commit to carrying the handset. If you saw removable covers and hoped that the 620 would benefit from the same wireless charging plates we saw in the 820, we've got some bad news -- Nokia has said it's not likely to happen.
Google to continue offering Exchange ActiveSync support on Windows Phones through July 31st
Today is the day that Google has been planning to shut off its support for Exchange ActiveSync, but it appears that the company has had a slight change of heart. Google has confirmed that it will allow Windows Phones to access Google Sync services for an additional six months, ending on July 31st. This move will allow Microsoft a little extra breathing room, giving the company more time to determine how to best resolve the concern that will affect countless Gmail fans that currently use Windows Phone as their primary driver; according to a blog post (linked below), Microsoft has indeed confirmed that it's working on building CalDAV and CardDAV support into Windows Phone. We reached out to Google and received this confirmation: "As announced last year, our plan is to end support for new device connections using Google Sync starting January 30, 2013. With the launch of CardDAV, it's now possible to build a seamless sync experience using open protocols (IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV) for Gmail, Google Calendar and Contacts. We'll start rolling out this change as planned across all platforms but will continue to support Google Sync for Windows Phone until July 31, 2013."
Amazon adds Windows Phone 8 support to Kindle app, keeps the Live Tiles going
Amazon's been doing a pretty decent job at blanketing those Android and iOS Kindle applications with the latest and greatest, but the same couldn't exactly be said about its Windows Phone counterpart. Today there's great news for users of Redmond's mobile OS, however, as the Fire maker has announced an update that brings some much-needed support for Windows Phone 8 to the app, which should pair well with the company's Whispersync tech and the extensive e-book repertoire it has to offer. There might be one caveat, though: early adopters of the refreshed Kindle app have said it's facing some crashing issues and, in some cases, even having trouble launching -- a few folks, meanwhile, have mentioned that it's best to do a clean install rather than update the previous version in order to avoid any woes. The link to grab the application is down below, and do use the comments section to let us know how the process turned out for you.
Huawei Ascend W1 now available in China for $260, cheaper than Lumia 620 locally
We knew that Huawei's 4-inch Ascend W1 will be hitting the UK at some point this quarter, but the company is once again launching a new device in its home country first. Currently available in black at the official online store, this dual-core, WCDMA 900/2100-flavored W1 is priced at ¥1,599 or about $260, making it the cheapest Windows Phone 8 device you can get in China -- probably something that will help address Huawei's smartphone penetration problem. Better yet, placing an order now will knock ¥100 (about $16) off the order but only while stocks last, so interested buyers better start calling their pals in China soon, especially before they shut down for Chinese New Year early next month! The title of cheapest WP8 device in China was previously held by Nokia's ¥1,999 (about $320) Lumia 620, though in the US it is available for just $249. Given the bigger screen and battery, the W1 might be a better buy, but we shall reserve our final judgement until we get to play with it properly. Meanwhile, somewhere in Redmond, Steve Ballmer is closely observing with a massive grin.
LastPass password manager updated with Windows Phone 8 support, all-new UI
LastPass, the password-managing service, announced that it's added many features in a new version released today for its Windows Phone application. Most notably, LastPass now offers support for Windows Phone 8, while those running an older variant of Microsoft's mobile OS can keep using the app as they have been since its early days on the platform. Other improvements and enhancements include a completely overhauled user interface, which should make it easier for users to navigate within the application, as well as easily find their most preferred sites by sorting alphabetically or adding them to the "Favorites" panel. The new version of LastPass is up for download now, so go and tap that source link if you're looking to keep those (many) passwords of yours all tidied up in one place.
Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs: too early to call the game on Windows Phone
This shouldn't come as a surprise after Steve Ballmer crashed the Qualcomm CES keynote yesterday, but at a follow-up briefing earlier today, the latter's CEO Paul Jacobs reiterated his support for Windows Phone. The exec said "it's too early to call the game" on Microsoft's mobile OS, and emphasized that he "never counted Microsoft out" as it has a lot of resources plus benefits, especially with the tie-in with its enterprise software and Xbox. "It is growing, they are gaining traction. When you use the devices they work well. That's pretty key," said Jacobs. Well, we're certainly fans of the Snapdragon-powered HTC 8X and Lumia 920, so it'll be up to Microsoft to convince more consumers. When asked whether the latest Snapdragon flagship is overshadowed by NVIDIA's Tegra 4 in terms of graphics performance, Jacobs insisted that is a very wrong assumption, and he's actually very confident about his own product's capability courtesy of his in-house graphics engineers. SVP of product management Raj Talluri added that even the Snapdragon 600 has a much higher CPU and GPU performance than both Tegra 4 and Intel's Clover Trail+. Obviously we'll know the truth when the consumer devices eventually land on our hands later this year.
Huawei Ascend W1 launching on O2 in UK, due to land sometime in Q1
A little late to the party, perhaps, but Huawei is finally trotting out that Windows Phone 8 device it promised way back in June. So, when can you get it? Sometime in the first quarter, if you're living in the UK -- O2 just announced the Ascend W1 as its first Windows Phone 8 handset. Specifics on the launch are as allusive as ever, of course -- Huawei would only say that the handset would hit China and Russia in January, though they were more than happy to show off its 4-inch 480 x 800 display and gush over its 1,950mAh battery. Into official, if vague, availability declarations? Check out the press release after the break.
Microsoft working on a fix for Halo 4 SmartGlass issues, arriving in 'the coming weeks'
Microsoft's SmartGlass and Microsoft's Halo 4 apparently aren't quite getting along on Windows Phone 8 devices. Using SmartGlass, Halo 4 players can normally access their stats and other info about their android supersoldier using the long-established Waypoint service -- except for Windows Phone 8 users, apparently. A forum thread dating back to Halo 4's November launch highlights the issue -- as Xbox.com forum user "Scion Eon" puts it: "Whenever I try to log into SmartGlass on my phone while playing Halo 4, I am immediately greeted with a message that says 'Your device is missing certain required features.'" As it turns out, Mr. Eon isn't the only one experiencing said connectivity issues -- specific to Windows Phone 8 devices -- and Microsoft's aware of the situation. "We are aware that there is an issue with the Xbox SmartGlass experience for 'Halo Waypoint' on Windows Phone 8 devices, which may prevent users from accessing Halo 4 player stats," a Microsoft rep told us this afternoon. Thankfully, Redmond's also taking care of a solution. "We are actively working on a fix and expect to have a solution within the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience as this gets resolved and apologize for any inconvenience this causes," the statement reads. Of course, should you want to access Halo 4's Waypoint functionality on SmartGlass before that fix, you can always use Microsoft's competitor's devices. But then who'd do that? [Thanks Colin!]
Maps update for Windows Phone 8 available, small improvements in tow
A new update for Maps on Windows Phone 8 has been spotted in the wild, and it supposedly improves the quality of, well, maps -- including those downloaded for offline use. There's no push mechanism for getting this refresh, though, so those with a WP8 device will want to check for it via the Settings menu. What's changed, exactly? According to WMPoweruser, maps have improved detail and traffic info. If you've downloaded the update, tell us about it in the comments below.
HTC 8S review: a budget Windows Phone that doesn't compromise on style
More Info Windows Phone 8S by HTC hands-on: a bright Windows phone that holds promise HTC Windows Phone 8S hits the FCC with North American 3G, gives the US a horrible tease HTC confirms the Windows Phone 8S will not be coming to the US We're not sure if HTC's One S suffered from middle child syndrome. It certainly shouldn't have. But if it did, it's a hindrance the company spared its Windows Phone 8 line. HTC decided two was enough, and who are we to argue? It was back in October that we handled the flagship, but now its smaller, cheaper companion has arrived. At around £230 (about $370) SIM-free, this potentially represents one of the best value Windows Phone options around at the moment (at least in Europe and Asia). Sure, Nokia's Lumia 620 will soon be gunning for some of its market share, but for now it's got relatively little competition. So far, Windows Phone 8 has seen plenty of entries running dual-core, 1.5GHz Snapdragon chips. This time we're looking at a slower clock speed (1GHz) and some more muted specs across the board (more on this later). Given that, did HTC get the budget-to-features balance right here? Read on to find out.
Huawei's Ascend W1 and D2 confirmed for CES, Richard Yu expresses worry over the latter
Huawei's first-ever Windows Phone, the Ascend W1, is no stranger to us at this point, but no one's been certain about its debut until now. After mourning his daughter's two stolen ducks on Sina Weibo, Senior Vice President Richard Yu said not only will his company formally introduce its WP8 device at CES next month, but it'll also be showing off its Android-powered Ascend D2 (pictured center and right). Interestingly, Yu also expressed concern that the D2 "Dream Phone" will be too expensive to produce due to the powerful specs: five-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.5GHz chip (undoubtedly Huawei's very own K3V2), 13-megapixel camera and 3,000mAh battery -- all according to leaked info from an internal event from late October, as well as a recent filing in the TENAA database. Don't worry, Richard, just give us a decent price tag and we'll be all over you.
Nokia Lumia 920 camera fuzziness getting fixed in PR1.1 update
We're not going to lie. After spending some quality time with several Lumia 920 prototypes in Finland last September, we came away extremely impressed with the PureView-branded camera aboard Nokia's Windows Phone 8 flagship. It's the first handset to feature optical image stabilization -- the floating sensor and lens enable ultra-stable video recording and phenomenal low-light stills. Imagine our disappointment then, when upon receiving our Lumia 920 review units, the shooter failed to live up to our lofty expectations. While the OIS was performing as advertised, most photos we took suffered from an obvious lack of detail, an annoying fuzziness / softness. We reached out to Nokia and it exchanged one of our phones, but to no avail. Compounding matters, we also experienced problems with inconsistent white balance and exposure. The company never confirmed these issues, but hinted that the camera software was still being tweaked. We've been longing for an update ever since. It's time to rejoice, because it looks like something's in the works. This weekend we obtained an exclusive set of identical pictures taken with two Lumia 920 handsets -- one setup with the existing PR1.0 firmware, the other running the upcoming PR1.1 update . Here's the great news: looking at these sample shots (see crop above), it's abundantly clear that Nokia's fixed the camera's fuzziness problem. The not-so-great news is that we're still seeing some issues with white balance. Nokia US recently hinted on Twitter that an update is scheduled "this month" and our source confirms that it's indeed PR1.1. The new software also includes many stability, LTE and web browsing improvements, plus Microsoft's own tweaks (such as declining calls via SMS). We've compiled the images (labeled with the firmware version, ISO and shutter speed) plus some composites (including 1:1 crops) for comparison in the galleries below. The originals (stripped of EXIF data at the request of our source) are available for download right here. %Gallery-173550% %Gallery-173553%
Editorial: Does Windows Phone even have a chance without Google?
Go ahead -- lambaste me for even mentioning it. I'll wait. Now, how's about we look beyond the surface -- the beautified tile regime and the whimsical animations -- and focus on what actually matters when looking at a smartphone platform. You don't have to look far to get a solid grasp on which platforms are soaring, which are hanging tough and which have one foot in the proverbial grave. Gartner's latest worldwide mobile report shows Android and iOS at the top, with rarely discussed terms like "Symbian" and "Bada" above some company called "Microsoft." Which brings me to a question that has been haunting me for months: "Why?" Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series nearly three full years ago, bringing with it an extraordinarily fresh take on a smartphone world that has grown soggy with pages of grid-mapped programs. But, as things have turned out, beauty that's only skin deep doesn't do much for market share -- even when you're pouring millions upon millions of dollars into marketing, coaxing one of the most notable names in mobile to run your OS exclusively and cutting deals with carriers like it's just some trivial affair. I've waxed lyrical about the danger of Windows Phone losing out simply because it offers (comparably) little in terms of ecosystem glitz, but these days, I'm growing closer to putting the platform's fate on a single name: Google.
Windows Phone web store opens in 37 new countries, adds universal search, and supports installing apps via SD card
If you had any doubts about Microsoft's efforts to actually make an impact with Windows Phone 8, let this address them. After announcing that it'd be maintaining a full staff to certify apps through the holiday period, the outfit has just revealed that its web store for apps / games is now open in 37 new locations around the globe. (You can find the full list after the break.) All told, that makes 112 supported nations, complementing the phone store that's available now in 191 markets. As for other changes? First off, universal search is being added -- instead of having to go one place to find apps and another to search for how-to articles, you'll now see all these search results in one place. The web store has also gained support for installing apps via SD card, which Microsoft points out could be useful when a solid cellular or WiFi connection is nowhere to be found. For the full spiel, head on over to the source link.
Bing Translator gets updated for Windows Phone 8, available now in the Store
The Bing Translator app has been helping Windows Phone users avoid cross-cultural mishaps since April of last year, adding augmented reality and offline capability along the way. Naturally, Microsoft has updated this utility for Windows Phone 8. The latest version of Translator supports six languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and features a new "lens" for translating text via a smartphone's camera. The app is available as a free download in the Store. Head past the break to see it in action.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Skulls of the Shogun
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We like that. This week, Skulls of the Shogun lead designer Jake Kazdal discusses developing a game for four platforms at once, and what happened to that "launch alongside Windows 8" promise. What's your game called and what's it about?Skulls of the Shogun is an arcade-strategy game coming to XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 and Windows RT (Surface) very soon. It's an original title, developed by a small team of highly experienced AAA developers over the past 3.5 years. It's a mash-up of tactical turn-based strategy, with a feel that is very arcade-like and action-packed. No grids, very few menus and quick, snappy rounds give it a very unique and charming aesthetic, easy for action gamers to adapt to, but with all the depth a good strategy game lover needs.Why did you choose to go exclusively Microsoft? Is there any chance of Skulls of the Shogun launching through Steam or anywhere else?Microsoft's XBLA group is full of old friends and co-workers from my past in this industry, they're close by so we can zip over there for lunch and meetings, and they have my favorite game console, along with a phone and a tablet and a new operating system.For a micro-studio like us to be able to launch on four platforms simultaneously was a huge incentive. We own the IP and would like to do more with it in the future (not only gaming) but Microsoft is the publisher for these versions and that has kept our hands quite full for now.%Gallery-171897%
Huawei Ascend W1 makes an appearance in Blue and White
We've kept anxious eyes on Huawei's Ascend W1 for a while now, so imagine our disappointment when it was a no-show at the Windows Phone 8 launch. Fortunately, a Huawei employee has tweeted a pair of pictures that show the device in all of its budget-handset glories. Gone are the rounded corners of handsets like the Ascend D Quad, in favor of a boxier aesthetic that sits well with Metro Windows 8 Style whatever we're calling it this week. Hardware-wise, it's believed to be carrying a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 4-inch, 800 x 480 display, 2,000mAh battery and a 5-megapixel camera. There's also an unconfirmed rumor that we'll first see the China-exclusive device at CES 2013, breaking the hearts of impoverished westerners everywhere.
Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T: what's different?
A few days ago we reviewed the global version of Nokia's Lumia 920 flagship running Windows Phone 8. The handset's been available for purchase on AT&T since last Friday with a few carrier-specific tweaks, such as compatible LTE bands. It's aggressively priced at $100 with a two-year agreement -- this includes 32GB of built-in storage, a free Nokia wireless charging plate (while supplies last) and the same camera magic as its global sibling. It's a phone that would otherwise cost about £445 ($710) unsubsidized and unlocked. Nokia's Lumia 920 for AT&T comes in a choice of high-gloss (red, yellow or white) and matte (cyan or black) finishes. Despite the global and AT&T models being virtually identical, there are minor differences worth noting. Join us after the break for the details.%Gallery-170070% %Gallery-170074%
