Hasta La Gadget!

Say what you will about Microsoft’s ecosystem struggles, but no one can fault it for trying. In an effort to get more developers to give Windows Phone 8 more than a passing glance, the outfit has just launched a beta version of Windows Phone App Studio — a web-based dev environment that’s “designed to help anyone quickly bring an idea to life by applying text, web content, imagery, and design concepts to any one of a rich set of customizable templates.” Moreover, Microsoft is now allowing any dev to unlock and register a single phone to use with up to two apps, and it’s also offering a $19 “Summer Break” Dev Center registration offer for those looking to actually publish software to the store. Finally, a new “Click To Chat” support program is being instituted to help those who can’t quite seem to overcome a programming hurdle. Take a look at the company’s blog post for the full skinny.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: Windows Phone Developer Blog, Windows Phone App Studio

When you set up your Android phone with a secure unlock mode, it often means giving up app shortcuts. You won’t have to make that sacrifice if Google implements a newly granted US patent, however. The technique lets device owners complement a basic pattern unlock with multiple customizable patterns that launch specific apps, such as the camera or dialer. It’s a simple concept. The question is whether or not Google will ever use it — when Android 4.3 still relies on a conventional pattern unlock, it’s clear that the company isn’t in a big rush.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google

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Source: USPTO

Microsoft has spent the past several months refining Bing results on the web and the desktop. Now, it’s Windows Phone 8’s turn. An upcoming Bing refresh for the platform will reduce the search filters to three — Web, Images and Videos — while providing more relevant information on the first result screen. The tool is also more likely to show usable results in the first place, with immediate answers available for subjects like flight schedules, movies and word definitions. Photo hunters get some additional love between infinite scrolling and auto-sized thumbnails. Just don’t expect the new Bing features right away. Microsoft is delivering the update to American devices over the course of the next few weeks, with international users to follow afterward.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: Windows Phone Blog

We like the idea of NetZero’s budget-friendly mobile broadband — just not its use of Clearwire’s small, aging WiMAX network. The provider should soon take care of that problem through new MVNO agreements with Sprint and Verizon. The five-year Sprint pact gives NetZero both LTE and EV-DO; the Verizon deal serves more as a safety net, supplying EV-DO alone for three years. Both agreements only take effect in the second quarter of 2014, but they should finally give the NetZero broad coverage and higher peak speeds that it needs to compete with more expensive rivals.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint

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Via: FierceBroadband Wireless

Source: United Online, Seeking Alpha

It’s easy for Mac users to back up regular photos from Lumia phones, but not the shots taken using Nokia’s special modes — iPhoto can’t handle the raw data from Cinemagraph, for example. Nokia’s new Photo Transfer for Mac should provide that missing peace of mind. The utility saves all the files needed to work with photos and videos in Nokia’s mobile imaging apps, including Cinemagraph, Pro Camera, Smart Camera and SmartShoot. While there’s no on-computer editing, the tool simplifies exporting any media to a Lumia device for additional tweaks. If you’re running at least OS X Lion, you can grab Photo Transfer for Mac at the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Nokia

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Via: Windows Phone Central

Source: Nokia