Hasta La Gadget!

Another day, another string to the Nokia Lumia 928‘s bow, and the slow Finnish drip of information ahead of the new Windows Phone’s release now turns to the optical image stabilization (OIS) on the 8.7-megapixel camera. Anti-shake during still photo framing and video recording is one of the features most praise on the Lumia 920, and so it’s no surprise that Nokia is taking it seriously on the Lumia 928, strapping the new smartphone to a remote control helicopter to show how it can smooth out footage.

Nokia took the Lumia 928 to Squamish valley in British Columbia, and set to work zooming the phone around the scenery. “We attached the Lumia to a remote control helicopter and filmed as many remote, scenic and inaccessible locations as we could in one amazing day of good weather” Nokia explains of the project.

Whereas many smartphones use digital image stabilization techniques to try to smooth out judder and shake in video recording, there’s no replacement for physically controlling movement of the lens. In the Lumia 920, Nokia used a special “suspended lens” system which basically mounted the camera components on a shiftable platform inside the phone, and then adjusts its position according to movement data from a gyroscope.

That OIS system can handle up to 500 movements per second, and it’s that which helps smooth out the jerkiness of hand-held filming. Or, in this case and the Lumia 928, the sort of filming you might get when you’re fixed to a flying vehicle.

“We drove up old logging roads and flew off the sides of cliffs, we filmed sunken barges that can only be seen when the tide is completely out, and we flew the helicopter into waterfalls and river gorges to capture footage that you wouldn’t be able to see in any other way” Nokia

Previous Lumia 928 demonstrations have also focused on the phone’s recording abilities. First, Nokia showed how the 8.7-megapixel PureView camera fared against the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III, with stronger low-light performance among other advantages; then, the high dynamic range for audio recording was illustrated.

This latest test doesn’t make any direct comparisons – Nokia didn’t strap any rival phones to the helicopter – but, while it’s not quite what you might get from a BBC nature documentary, the footage is impressive nonetheless. We’re expecting the Lumia 928 to be made official, for Verizon and other international carriers, at an event Nokia is hosting next week.

Nokia Lumia 928 demos OIS with helicopter joyride is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Huawei W1 was announced today, the company’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphone, which will go on sale online in the U.S. this month. Huawei says that as a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, the W1 is easier to use, it providers […]

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Huawei and the United States government may have their differences, but here’s something we can all agree on: Walmart’s going to sell whatever it darn well pleases. Including, mind you, Huawei’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphone. The W1 — which has made inroads in multiple markets already — is heading to Yankee soil, with shipments expected to begin “this month” at Walmart.com and at select Walmart stores. For those in need of a refresher, it’ll pack a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, a 4-inch IPS touchpanel, 1.7GB of user-available internal storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD card), a 5 megapixel rear camera (with a 0.3MP shooter on the front) and the latest iteration of Microsoft’s mobile OS. Strangely, Huawei nor Walmart are saying what the damage will be, but it’ll reportedly be priced “competitively” on a prepaid, no-contract plan.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: Windows Phone Blog, Huawei

Similar to the feature for Android users that allows images and videos to be backed up to their Google account, Microsoft offers full-resolution image and video backup to SkyDrive for Windows Phone 8 users. While handy, the feature wasn’t universally available to all users, leaving some without the convenience it poses. That changes today, with the company announcing that full-resolution backups will be available in all markets.

The full-resolution backup ability will soon be available everywhere, with some Windows Phone 8 users who were previously unable to use the feature already seeing it. Those who haven’t gained the ability yet are told to be patient, with Microsoft saying that it has “just start to light it up.” You should see the feature by this weekend, however, according to the company’s timeline.

Those with access will need to enable the feature in order to use it, which is done via the device’s menus. Head into Photos, then More. Tap Settings -> SkyDrive. Those who have gained the new ability will see a different SkyDrive Storage screen than the one they previously had, with the new one including the option “Best quality” under both Photos and Videos.

Select the box for both options if you want to upload full-resolution of both images and videos, or only select one if, for example, you’re only interested in image backup. You’ll notice a snippet that says Wi-Fi is required in order to utilize full-resolution backups, meaning it’ll happen when you’re connected to your wireless network. This is to keep your phone bill from skyrocketing.

[via Windows]

Windows Phone 8 gains full-resolution video and image SkyDrive backups worldwide is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Do you love to check in using Foursquare on your mobile device like the smartphone or tablet? If you have answered in the affirmative and so happen to own a smartphone which runs on the Windows Phone 8 platform, then you would be pleased to know that Foursquare for Windows Phone 8 has now been updated, where the latest version would bring along with it speech and Live Tiles among other features.

Those who are interested would do well to download it now from the Store. Version 3.0 of Foursquare would bring along with it a slew of new features as mentioned earlier, where you can now pin not only people but venues as well to your Start Screen, receive notifications on your lock screen, as well as check-in and share using NFC. Not only that, you are able to use your voice to search, find, and check-in to boot. The more you use Foursquare, the more it will “learn” from your past behavior, fine tuning its recommendations so that you will have a greater choice of things to do and try out in your vicinity. Anyone given it a go yet?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nokia Max 4.7″ And Catwalk Lumia Smartphones Rumored, Apple’s Demands Irk Prospective iPhone Carriers In Many Markets,