Hasta La Gadget!

Tinder, for those unfamiliar, is a matchmaking app for iOS and Android devices where users are able to swipe through various photos of potential partners, either “liking” or “disliking” a profile. What makes Tinder different from other matchmaking apps and services is that it will only allow users to message one another only if they have both mutually liked one another, thus preventing spam. For a brief moment Tinder made its way onto Windows Phone through the unofficial 6tindr app courtesy of Rudy Huyn, a developer known for creating unofficial versions of popular apps for Windows Phone, but it has since been pulled.

Well the good news is that despite the app being pulled, it looks like Huyn has been in talks with the folks at Tinder and he will now be creating an official Tinder app for the Windows Phone platform instead. This is good news because it is an official app, although previously Huyn’s take on the Tinder app did come with features the official app does not. Unfortunately when asked how long it would take for the official app to be released, Huyn was unable to provide a timeframe, instead replying that, “We will try to make the best user experience ever made.” So for those looking to matchmake on their Windows Phone handsets, hang tight and we’re sure an official release will be happening in the near future!

Official Tinder App For Windows Phone In The Works original content from Ubergizmo.

This weekend AdDuplex, an advertising platform for Windows applications, announced that according to its tracked data, Windows Phone Update 3 is now installed on 15 percent of Windows Phone 8 handsets.

Microsoft tore the wrapping off of Update 3 — also known as GDR3 — in October, detailing to the media what it would include, and providing notes on its delivery schedule. Developers could get their hands on the code sooner, but the average user, as TechCrunch wrote at the time, would “get the updates between the Fall, and the early parts of 2014. Carrier considerations, testing, and the like will determine when precisely your handset gets the bump.”

To see a mere 15 percent of the Windows Phone 8 pool of handsets have the update as January comes to a close is slightly disappointing. We could, perhaps, see a surge of firmware updates come in the next few months, but it’s safe to say now that the pace of upgrade from firmware announcement to installation on a plurality of devices is a long cycle in the Windows Phone world.

I had no benchmark in mind of how far along Update 3 should have been at any given moment, but I do think that it is reasonable to say that 15 percent after a quarter is a slower uptake pace than we might have hoped for given that the software is free for consumers.

Carriers, presumably, are the sticking point. If Microsoft wants to more quickly move its new code to extant Windows Phone consumers, it will need new strategy. Unless, like with Android, Microsoft is content with fragmentation that will see its user base stratified across versions, hampering developers and not maximizing the strength of its own user experience.

Kicked to the above is the fact that Windows Phone 8.1 is on the way — likely in April. If carriers don’t get out-of-the-way, some users may end up moving to 8.1 before Update 3 trickles down to their handsets.

Top Image Credit: Flickr

Nokia placed a big bet on Windows Phone when it axed Symbian and agreed to develop smartphones that would only run on Microsoft’s mobile platform. It was able to make the arrangement work, closing out with over 92 percent of the entire global Windows Phone market. Its Lumia lineup has been very successful, particularly in emerging markets where the Lumia 520 has singlehandedly lead the Windows Phone charge. The once iconic manufacturer agreed last year to sell its device business to Microsoft, making 2013 the last year in which Nokia would function as a full-fledged handset manufacturer. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been able to go out on top, Nokia has reported its Q4 2013 fiscal earnings, posting a $270 million loss and conceding that smartphone and feature phone sales dipped in the last quarter.

(more…)

Nokia Sold 8.2 Million Lumia Smartphones Last Quarter original content from Ubergizmo.

Nokia’s Lumia 1520 grabbed the bulk of the headlines at the company’s Abu Dhabi event last October, but it wasn’t the only phablet the company brought along. In addition to … Continue reading

The other day we reported that 6tindr, the unofficial Tinder app for Windows Phone, had been released. The app was developed by Rudy Huyn, a developer well-known in the Windows Phone circles for creating and releasing unofficial apps for the Windows Phone platform, apps that the original developers might have forgotten or not bothered to release for Windows Phone. In any case it looks like Tinder is not too happy about Huyn’s activities and have since requested the app to be removed from the Windows Phone store after complaining to Microsoft about it. Granted that 6tindr is based on Tinder, we guess the developers aren’t too thrilled about unofficial versions which could have the potential to tarnish their reputation.

However according to Huyn who wrote a short letter to Tinder, “If you want me to remove 6tindr from the Windows Phone Store I will respect your wishes, however I appeal to you that we work together so we can provide your new Windows Phone users – who are clearly passionate about using your service – with an awesome Tinder experience. I request that you please allow me the pleasure of helping you grow the popularity of Tinder within the Windows Phone community. I feel that together we can do great things for Windows Phone users, and I’d love to assist in any way possible to help bring an official Tinder app to Windows Phone.” Fair enough, don’t you guys think?

6tindr Pulled From Windows Phone Store As Per Tinder’s Request original content from Ubergizmo.