Another update to Windows Phone 8 that’s been announced today is a new feature in the People Hub called Rooms. This allows Windows Phone 8 users to parcel up their contacts so they send group messages to particular sub-sets of people, share location, calendars, shared to-do lists and more. → Read More
Today at the Windows Phone 8 press conference, Microsoft unveiled a new feature for the operating system. Kid’s Corner is specifically targeted at your children who are so attracted by the vivid screen of your phone. In that mode, they can safely use certain games or apps. → Read More
Event cancellations aside, today is still shaping up to be a big day for smartphone fans — Google has just officially outed some shiny new (if not entirely unexpected) hardware, and we’re here at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to catch up with Microsoft and see what’s new with Windows Phone 8.
If you’ll recall, Microsoft hasn’t been completely forthcoming with its newest mobile operating… → Read More
Nokia today officially announced that it will be offering the Nokia Lumia 822 as part of its “Fall portfolio,” bringing the Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia 820 variant exclusively to Verizon’s network. This version offers wireless charging, an 8 MP camera on the back and 1.2 MP camera on the front, as well as LTE support and switchable shells. No word yet on specific availability or pricing. → Read More
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 event takes place later today — where we expect to find out exactly how the integration between WP8, Microsoft’s new mobile OS, and its new desktop OS Windows 8 will work. In the meanwhile, the Verge has spotted a companion app that’s surfaced on the Windows Store which will allow WP8 users to sync content with a Windows 8 PC. → Read More
Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s big return to the smartphone stage after Windows Mobile’s gradual decline and demise, turns two today, according to a tweet by Joel Belfiore, Microsoft’s head of Windows Phone product definition and design. So I thought it would be fitting to take a look back at Windows Phone 7′s life up until now, and what the mobile OS has or hasn’t done for Microsoft so far. → Read More
Best Buy started accepting pre-orders today for the AT&T Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X Windows Phone devices. Pricing details are also now available, with the Lunia 920 available for $149.99 on a new 2-year contract, and $599.99 without commitment. The 8X is $99.99 on contract, and $599.99 without, meaning those interested can get on board with Windows Phone 8 for $50 less with HTC. → Read More
You may have caught on to the Verizon-flavored Nokia handset floating around the rumor mill. But just in case you missed it, a few recent leaks have led us to believe that the red carrier will lay claim to the Nokia Lumia 822. And here’s the real shocker: it should only cost $49, according to WMPowerUser. → Read More
Word has come through that Nokia has completed its sale of luxury phone brand Vertu to EQT VI. But TechCrunch has heard sources that Anssi Vanjoki, the 20-year Nokia veteran who resigned back in 2010, will be named the new CEO of Vertu. → Read More
It was inevitable. Smartphone displays have gone from a standard 4 inches to ~5-inches in a short time, and the truth is that phones can only get so big before being too big. And so, as the tide ebbs and flows, so do smartphone design trends, and it would appear that “small” displays are so in.
Now, to be perfectly clear, I have no problem with big phones like the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note… → Read More
Invites have just gone out for a Microsoft press event to introduce its new Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system. An end of October unveiling for the next generation of WP had been expected but today the date has been confirmed as October 29 — or at least that’s when a London press event will be held. → Read More
Microsoft is sending out invites for a Windows Phone 8 launch event on October 29, to be held at 10 AM PST. The phone platform was shown off on stage during a joint event with Nokia, and also during another with HTC in September, but Microsoft is saying we’ll see more at its own show. → Read More
Microsoft is really trying to increase the appeal of Window Phone to developers, and a new tool just released adds a small, but very useful feature: instant translation of user reviews from one language to another. Microsoft is calling this one a “fun surprise,” but it could actually be a very helpful convenience feature in helping developers understand their audience. → Read More
To date, Microsoft has kept hands on time with its Windows Phone 8 devices to a minimum (read: you can look but don’t touch) and until recently, a finalized build of the SDK has been limited to only a handful of developers. A leaked SDK of said build, however, has been floating around as of late and WP Central posted the following video of what it says is not a thorough walkthrough of the upcoming… → Read More
Today at HTC’s press conference, the company introduced two new phones. The Windows Phone 8X is the bigger brother, the flagship device. With a 4.3-inch display and competitive specs, it is no surprise that the device looks bulky.
The real killer feature seems to be the 2.1-megapixel front facing camera that is capable of recording 1080p movies with an f/2.0 lens. Yet, looking at the pictures… → Read More
Nokia has taken the stage in New York City, hand-in-hand with Microsoft of course, to deliver its latest round of Lumia smartphones, powered by Windows 8. While it’s not quite as impressive as big brother 920, the freshly announced Lumia 820 should still raise a few hairs on your neck.
We’ve known very little about this phone from leaks, but now we can tell you with certainty that the Lumia… → Read More
At Nokia’s press event today in New York, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore hopped on stage to demo Windows Phone 8 on the new Lumia 920. Windows Phone 8 was announced a while ago, but the manager of the Windows Phone platform took the stage to share a couple new bits of info about the forthcoming mobile operating system.
The first bit of the demo threw it back to customizable live tiles, a feature… → Read More
And we’re live from Nokia’s joint press conference with Microsoft here in rainy New York City. On tap for today’s festivities include the launch of one or two new Windows Phone 8-powered handsets codenamed “Arrow” and “Phi”.
Based on leaked information last month, the two devices are expected to be named the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 with PureView. Will they be able to compete with the likes of… → Read More
Windows Phone has done an excellent job with messaging. Mango offered threaded messages to users, allowing you to convert from a Facebook chat, SMS, and Windows Live messenger all from the same conversation window. But in the next iteration of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft will take this to a new level in the mobile OS with a new feature called Room.
Room will essentially be a group chat, with the… → Read More
Sorry Nokia, consider your thunder stolen. It hasn’t yet made an appearance at Samsung’s big IFA press conference inside the Berlin Tempodrom, but Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 device has just been made official thanks to a post on Microsoft’s Windows Phone Blog.
That device in question is the ATIV (EYY-tiv? Ah-TEEV?) S, a rather handsome new handset that sports a (sadly unspecified) 1.5GHz… → Read More
Nokia is expected to pull back the curtains on its new slew of Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia phones on September 5, but the Finnish phone company has been agonizingly vague about what it intends to show off. That said, some new intel may have just shed new light on Nokia’s hardware plans.
According to The Verge’s sources, Nokia plans to reveal a duo of new Lumia phones — nicknamed “Arrow” and… → Read More
Nokia’s Chris Weber sure seems to be a feisty mood. The company’s EVP of Sales and Marketing took to his sporadically-used Twitter account presumably in an attempt to build some buzz around Nokia and Microsoft’s upcoming press conference, and this is what he came up with:
“Samsung take note, next generation Lumia coming soon. #nokia”
These are some pretty bold words coming a guy whose… → Read More
PROBABLY NOKIA’S NEW WINDOWS PHONE 8 DEVICES.
But seriously, Microsoft very publicly revealed the future of its Windows Phone platform a few months back. At the time Nokia though, didn’t have much more to announce than some conciliatory apps for all the people whose Lumias wouldn’t work with Windows Phone 8.
Now it looks like Nokia and Microsoft are finally ready to talk hardware. → Read More
Nielsen released another of their periodic looks at the U.S. smartphone market today, and aside from the revelation that two-thirds of U.S. phone purchasers went for smartphones in Q2 2012, the results are as you’d expect.
Android still leads the pack in terms of pure penetration — as of this past June, it accounts for 51.8% of smartphones in use (up from 50.4% in Q1 2012) with Apple’s iOS… → Read More
Microsoft is on a hot streak. The company has never been cooler, pushing out hot new start screens (both desktop and mobile), excluding early-adopters from major upgrades (pulling a Google), and snagging the up-and-coming Yammer enterprise social network for a cool $1.2 billion. But sometimes people can get carried away.
So is the case with this image of an alleged future Windows Phone… → Read More
Man, does HTC employ some loose-lipped people or what?
Less than a day after Microsoft’s big Windows Phone 8 preview event, The Verge managed to score some details on HTC’s hardware plans for Windows Phone 8. If their source’s information holds true, the Taiwanese company has plans to release a top-tier, mid-range, and an entry-level WP8 device before the year is out.
Starting at the… → Read More
A key differentiator in Windows Phone 8 will be an updated start screen, which is an evolution of the current version with customizable tiles for greater personalization.
The new start screen still uses the Metro design language and live tiles still live on but WP8 now offers smaller icons in addition to medium and “double wide” tiles. → Read More
Up until today, Microsoft hasn’t publicly acknowledged the existence of Windows Phone 8 (codename Apollo). After an unfortunate leak last week and a video meant for hardware partners prior to that, a handful of new features in the next build have already been outed. But like most leaks, it doesn’t quite paint the whole picture. They rarely do.
Microsoft is shifting the core kernel of Windows… → Read More
At what point did Bloomberg start writing ridiculously sensationalistic and misleading headlines? It apparently started last night with the following: HTC Said To Be Shut Out Of Next Version Of Windows.
Last I checked, HTC is in the business of making smartphones, not tablets. The four previous tablets built by HTC were likely built to appease the carriers. Regardless of whether or not HTC is… → Read More
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