After a bit of craziness yesterday when the mobile version of Google Maps stopped working on Windows Phone 8, Google has clarified/changed its story. According to reports by The Next Web, Google Maps mobile is coming back after all. More »
There was a report earlier today that a few Windows Phone users were banned by Google from using the web version of its Google Maps app. And from what we are hearing, the issue seems to be affecting a wide number Windows Phone devices. The report originated from one of the forums of fellow tech site The Verge, and Google caught wind of it immediately. Google was quick to respond, and issued a statement to saying, “The mobile web version of Google Maps is optimized for WebKit browsers such as Chrome and Safari. However, since Internet Explorer is not a WebKit browser, Windows Phone devices are not able to access Google Maps for the mobile web.” (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Teen Drugs Parents Because Internet Curfew Was Too Strict, Facebook Adds Voice Messages to Messenger App; VoIP Calls Being Tested In Canada,
Google has been getting on a lot of people’s bad sides lately, and it doesn’t look like the company will be reversing that trend any time soon. Shortly after Microsoft posted a lengthy blog post bashing the company and claiming that it is deliberately harming Windows Phone, it has surfaced that Windows Phone users who attempt to access “maps.google.com” are redirected to Google’s search page instead.
It doesn’t matter if users have the handset in desktop mode, the same redirect is in place. For now at least, Windows Phone users can still access maps by going to “maps.google.co.uk”, however, presumabely due to the scrutiny that Google is under in Europe. The block is in effect for both Windows Phone 7.5 and 8.
This comes after claims by Microsoft’s Vice President Dave Heiner who, on Wednesday, stated in a blog post that “just last month we [at Microsoft] learned from YouTube that senior executives at Google told them not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones.” The piece goes on to state that Google is deliberately taking steps to harm its competition while expressing disapproval with the FTC’s lax response.
The FTC’s antitrust investigations was wrapped up after months with a promise on Google’s part to change some of its ways. As it seems, some of those changed ways include blocking its competitor’s customers from accessing its online mapping service. Do you have a Windows Phone? Let us know in the comments if you can access Maps.
[via WMPoweruser]
Google won’t let Windows Phone users access Maps is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Earlier today rumors started floating around that Google is somehow now blocking Windows Phone users from accessing Google Maps through Internet Explorer. Well, it turns out that that was totally false and untrue. As it turns out, the mobile browser version of Google Maps was built for Webkit-based browsers, and the mobile version of Internet Explorer is not based on Webkit. So that’s why it doesn’t work. Now go on about your business. More »
Nokia is planning at least one top-tier Windows Phone using an aluminum body rather than the colorful polycarbonate of the existing Lumia range, with the handset – codenamed Catwalk – due sometime this year. Expected to be both thinner and lighter than the Nokia Lumia 920, the Nokia Catwalk will be part of a three device refresh, according to The Verge‘s sources.
Exact hardware specifications are unclear, though the Catwalk is tipped to have similar internal components as the Lumia 920 it will replace. That would suggest a roughly 4.5-inch display and dualcore processor, along with PureView camera technology and 4G LTE for high-speed connectivity.
Although the Lumia 920 was well received in terms of its overall abilities, the handset’s thickness and weight proved surprising in a marketplace of waifish phones. Part of that was down to the decision to integrate wireless charging, and use a clever suspended-lens feature for optical image stabilization, but the end result was a device that felt chunky and heavy in comparison to the iPhone 5 and other high-end devices.
A switch to aluminum – as Nokia has used before, to good result with phones like the N8 and E7 – would help make the flagship more competitive and add to a premium hand-feel. According to the tipster, the Catwalk will arrive with two other new Lumia devices, as a refresh to the company’s Windows Phone range, though no timescale for their release has been given.
Nokia “Catwalk” to replace Lumia 920 with sleek aluminum body is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The final release of a completely rock-and-roll Skype app for Windows Phone 8 is upon us all, here this week with a new Preview Release that includes no less than call and message notifications even while closed. This is in contrast to the past where both users (on either end of the Skype call or message) had to have Skype open to make a connection. This update is coming to all Windows Phone 8 users starting today (if they’ve got Skype downloaded already, of course).
This update brings on the ability to call Skype users with your Skype account over wi-fi or your 3G connection for free. You can now make free video calls to anyone working with Skype, you can make “low cost” calls to any other human on the planet (they using a phone without Skype, in this case), and you can send instant messages to groups (as well as regular IMs now as well).
You can also sign in now with your Microsoft Account (not just a Skype account) and send instant messages with your buddies galore! This update requires Windows Phone 8 to run and requires a minimum of 512MB of memory to run effectively. The version you’re updating to is numbered 2.1.0.241 and wont take you one whole heck of a lot of time to download if you’re working with wi-fi.
This update is still a preview, we must remind you once more, this is a preview release. They’re not saying is a Beta, but it might as well be titled as such. Feel free to download this app at will, but be on the alert for bugs! Let us know how it goes for you!
Skype for Windows Phone 8 updated with “always on” feature is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Before Windows Phone started making a splash, the smartphone platform wars was mostly between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, although in all fairness Google did roll out several official iOS apps that were pretty good, such as the recent Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube and etc. However it looks like the war between Android and Windows Phone is starting to heat up and according to a recent accusation by Microsoft, they claim that Google executives forced YouTube to not create an app for the Windows Phone platform, thus making the YouTube experience on Windows Phone devices less than stellar.
Microsoft is also claiming that Google has prevented them from creating their own YouTube app that would offer the same features that iOS and Android users are enjoying, although it should be noted that this is not a new allegation, but it is now supposedly backed up by evidence which Microsoft claims was garnered from YouTube employees. This incident with YouTube is an add-on to the series of problems that Microsoft is having with Google, such as Google’s decision to end support for Exchange ActiveSync, and the announcement by Google that they had no plans for native apps for the Windows Phone platform which led to Windows Phone users petitioning Google for it.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nokia ‘Catwalk’ To Succeed Lumia 920 With Aluminum Body [Rumor], Facebook Adds Voice Messages to Messenger App; VoIP Calls Being Tested In Canada,
In a mix of user interface usage, number crunching, and good ol’ analytics, the group known as ABI Research has revealed that Apple’s App Store has their top score in the mobile application storefronts category here at the start of 2013. The report they’ve released ranks stores based on both implementation and innovation with Apple winning the overall combined score over both the Google Play app store and Microsoft’s Windows Store, Google’s working for Android and Microsoft’s working for Windows Phone devices.
Combined scores for both implementation and innovation in this analysis showed Apple to be winning over the competition with 80.8 out of 100. Google’s score ended up being 72.2 and Microsoft ended up with a lovely 63.9, both of these also out of a max score of 100. Interestingly enough, it wasn’t Apple who won out when the scores were stacked up for innovation alone, with Microsoft scoring in at 77 out of 100 and Google coming in with 76, just the tiniest of points below the Windows Phone platform.
The innovation category for ABI Research works with what they say are the following five criteria: discovery, quality control, ease of use, “Breadth of Ecosystem”, and “Hosting and Deployment.” When they say Breadth of Ecosystem, they mean the availability of different kinds of media like apps, music, videos, and different kinds of apps, made for multiple screen sizes and even separate sections for phones and tablets. Hosting and Deployment for this study includes file-size limits as well as different methods for downloading media.
ABI researcher Aapo Markkanen made it clear this week that the study shows Microsoft doing well for their devices, but that it could all be for nothing if the Windows Phone platform doesn’t take off in a rather big way, rather soon: “Microsoft does seem to invest strongly in both personalized recommendation and editorial curation of apps. … [this approach] should favor developers with good products and little extra money to spare, over the ones that have mediocre products but big marketing budgets, [but this] won’t really matter if the devices powered by Windows Phone end up selling badly.”
[via ComputerWorld]
ABI ranks Apple App Store tops at start of 2013 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
A few months ago we reported that the Nokia Lumia 920 for China would come with slightly higher specs due to Chinese carriers’ radios not being compatible with the default chipset on the Lumia 920, and it looks like Lumia handsets in China will be getting another perk in the form of a call and SMS blocker. This appears to be both a Lumia and China exclusive, and if you’re wondering if Nokia will be extending this exclusivity to other markets around the world at a later date, chances are no because this service is in fact powered by China’s Tencent.
Tencent is a messaging service in China where downloadable keywords and blacklists for messages can be created. The call blocker on the other hand can be used to block calls from specific numbers, going as far as being able to trace where the call came from but will only work with mobile numbers, so tough luck if you’re trying to figure out where that telemarketer is calling from. These features have been introduced because SMS and call spamming are a pretty serious issue in China, so we guess Nokia and their partners are giving customers one more reason to choose them.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Ubuntu Powered Smartphones Coming Your Way, Christmas Period Saw 50 Million iOS And Android Activations,
It seems that while Google is eager at releasing apps for their competitor like Apple’s iOS platform, they seem to be taking a different stance with Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. As you might recall, Google announced that they had no plans to build native apps for the Windows Phone platform which meant that Windows Phone users would be left without some relatively essential apps – e.g. Google+, Gmail, and etc. Apart from a rather basic search app designed for the Windows Phone platform, it is unclear as to whether Google will be changing their stance on the matter in the near future, but that hasn’t stopped Windows Phone owners from launching a petition in which they hope will get Google’s attention. If you’re a Windows Phone user, or even if you’re an Android or iOS user who thinks that Google should make apps for Windows Phone, head on over to Change.org and sign the petition and hopefully Google will do something about it in the near future.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Bug Discovered In Snapchat And Poke App That Doesn’t Actually Delete Videos, South Korea Looking To Filter Swear Words And Pornography On Teenagers’ Smartphones,
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
