Hasta La Gadget!

If there is one thing that cannot be disputed, it is that both iOS and Android have more apps in their app store compared to Windows Phone. This is hardly surprising as Windows Phone is not the most popular platform, so why would developers want to bother? In a way it almost feels like Windows Phone is like the Wii U of smartphones, where despite it being a decent platform, it commands a lower user base due to there not being enough apps (one of the reasons), and its low user base has discouraged developers from creating for it. That being said, Statistic Brain has put together some numbers which might surprise you.

According to their data, they have found that Android is the leader in downloads, however despite that, their app revenue is around $1.2 billion. This is no small figure but in contrast to Windows Phone whose app downloads is only a fraction of Android, their app revenue is at $0.95 billion, which is pretty close to what Android is making. Statistic Brain breaks it down further and finds that Windows Phone developers essentially make on average about $0.23 per download, versus Android developers who only make $0.04. As for iOS, they are leading in app revenue at $6.4 billion which puts them at $0.24 per download.

Windows Phone Store Revenue Almost On Par With Android original content from Ubergizmo.

Verizon has needed a new Windows Phone 8 flagship, and Nokia was the obvious choice to deliver it. Don’t mistake the Lumia Icon for a side-thought in Nokia’s smartphone schemes, … Continue reading

Gamers who have played Halo on the Xbox console will probably fondly remember the Cortana character. Given the character’s role in the Halo franchise, we guess it wasn’t a complete surprise to think that Microsoft would give their upcoming voice assistant feature the Cortana codename. However we had initially expected it to be just a codename, as suggested back in 2013 when news about the feature broke. However thanks to the Windows Phone 8.1 SDK and the MUI files that were extracted from the emulator, it seems that Microsoft could indeed be sticking with the Cortana name for its voice assistant feature, a move which will no doubt put a smile on Halo gamers’ faces.

According to text extracted from the MUI files, it reads, “Your speech language settings doesn’t match your display language settings.  Speech language must match display language for Cortana to function.” Microsoft’s apparent decision to name the feature Cortana is probably helped by the petition that users launched when they asked Microsoft to name the feature Cortana for real. In fact to top things off and to add a bit of authenticity, rumors are suggesting that the original voice actress for Cortana, Jen Taylor, will be lending her voice for the feature as well. Cortana’s release is unknown but it is expected to be part of the Windows Phone 8.1 update, and if the rumors are to be believed, a July-August release date will be likely.

Cortana Could Be The Final Name Of Windows Phone’s Voice Assistant original content from Ubergizmo.

One of the alleged features of the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update would be a swipe keyboard. It is said to be similar to the Swype keyboard found on Android devices, and now thanks to a video uploaded by Unleash The Phones, a video of the swipe keyboard for Windows Phone has been caught on camera and demonstrated for the entire world to see. Based on what we can see in the video, the swiping functionality appears to be more or less the same as Swype and swiping keyboard feature that’s also available on Android, although in the case of Windows Phone, the trail line is in blue.

We’re not sure if the Windows Phone version is more accurate or intuitive as the Android version, but for Android users switching to Windows Phone and who might be missing the feature, Windows Phone 8.1 is an update to look forward to. For those unfamiliar, the swipe keyboard feature basically lets you move from letter to letter by sliding your finger across the screen, as opposed to tapping individual keys. Some claim that this is a faster way of typing compared to regular typing, and while it does seem fast, it does take some getting used to, although it might come in handy for those times when you might only have one free hand to type with. If you have a minute to, you can check out the keyboard in action in the video above.

Swipe Keyboard For Windows Phone 8.1 Caught On Video original content from Ubergizmo.

One of the industry’s biggest events is less than a week away. Mobile World Congress 2014 kicks off on February 24th in Barcelona, and already there are a lot of rumors about the tech expected to be announced there. We’re likely to see a lot of Android devices, and perhaps even Firefox OS phones, but there hasn’t been a lot of speculation about new Windows Phone devices. Sources tell re/code that while dozens of new Android phones will debut at MWC 2014, it is highly unlikely that any new Windows Phone models will be launched as well.

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MWC 2014 Won’t Bring New Windows Phone Devices original content from Ubergizmo.