Windows Phone 8 has not been out for that long yet, and here we are with word that the mobile operating system is about to be hit with an upcoming update, which is always a good thing. Originally referred to as Apollo+, it seems that this OS update is being whispered to be prepared for a February 2013 launch at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, where it is tipped to come with a host of tiny patches, fixes and additions to Windows Phone 8 experience. Dubbed “Portico”, this label will continue the Microsoft tradition of Windows Phone operating system codenames to end in the letter “o”, if history is of any indication with NoDo (7.x), Mango (7.5), Tango (7.5 Refresh) and Apollo (8.0).
No idea on whether the whole point of Portico is because of its meaning, which is an extension on a house, but you get the general idea. It is rather unfortunate that very little else is known about this operating system update, so stay tuned.
Microsoft has shown off the Windows Phone 8 keyboard, giving a comprehensive look at what it offers over Windows Phone 7, as well as the prediction technology it utilizes. In particular, it takes some time discussing how the keyboard was made for “real people,” better accommodating language usage and slang, for example. It then goes on to discuss how it deals with the “fat finger problem,” complete with a video demonstration.
First up is Word Flow, which is an improved version of Quick Correct with a new, more encompassing name. The feature is designed to reduce the number of typos a user experiences while better accommodating the way people naturally talk, including slang. Microsoft selected 600k of the most commonly used words out of 2.5 billion that were reviewed, giving Windows Phone 8 an autocorrect accuracy percentage of 94-percent.
It has achieved this by loading its integrated dictionary with frequency data that supplies information on how often each word is used. This helps Windows Phone 8 predict what word the user is going for, reducing the frequency of wrong words. One of the examples Microsoft presents is how Windows Phone predicts what word to choose when a user types the letters “h-a-p-p”. There are many words that can be selected, such as happen and happy. Because “happy” is more commonly used than “happen,” it presents that first.
In addition, the mobile operating system accommodates slang and real-world usage, such as nonstandard spellings. It does this via a dictionary unlike the Webster sitting on your bookshelf. The dictionary of nonstandard words and slang is derived from anonymously collected typing data from Windows Phone users. Microsoft utilized social networks and Wikipedia, as well, for common and new slang terms, which were automatically gathered and manually reviewed.
And what of the fat finger problem? Microsoft dealt with this issue, which results as often from small displays as it does large fingers, by implementing hit targets. A hit target is a sensitive area around a key that changes based on Word Flow’s prediction of what you’re trying to type. This helps it predict what key you were aiming for rather than which one you actually hit. You can see an example of this technology in the video above.
The HTC 8X is probably the most readily available Windows Phone 8 smartphone in the USA, and so far, it did not seem to suffer from any shortage. This smartphone is available on the T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon networks in various colors: Red, Yellow, Blue and Black. These are the Windows Theme colors and so far, the public seems to be excited by the idea of getting a brightly colored handset.
On the market, The HTC 8X main competitor is the Nokia Lumia 920, which is similarly priced at AT&T. If you absolutely want to be on T-Mobile or Verizon, then the fight falls back to the lower-end Nokia 8xx models as the 920 is an AT&T exclusive for the time being.
The HTC 8X’s main advantage over the Nokia Lumia 920 is the slightly smaller size (if you like that) and the much lighter weight, which is for many (but not all) an undeniable advantage that cannot be ignored. However, the Lumia 920 has great advantages of its own, including the low-light camera and exclusive Nokia software. Which one is best for you? (more…)
Nokia has revealed its latest Windows Phone 8 smartphone, the Lumia 620, a 3.8-inch handset with a ClearBlack WVGA display and 5-megapixel camera. Running Microsoft’s latest OS on a 1GHz dualcore Snapdragon S4 processor with 512MB of RAM, the Lumia 620′s big selling points are its price and its clever colors: it’ll be priced at $249 off-contract, Nokia says, and uses a new “Dual Shot” polycarbonate technique that layers different hues together.
Two layers of polycarbonate are applied, a single base layer and then a translucent or transparent layer in a different color on top. That means you can get new colors from Nokia’s current fetish of core CMYK, such as lime green from yellow and cyan. The casings themselves are interchangeable.
Nokia Lumia 620 overview:
Although the Lumia 620 lacks PureView functionality, it doesn’t stint elsewhere on the spec sheet. There’s 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot good for up to 64GB cards, together with WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and even NFC, ambitious for the price. Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS/Glonass, microUSB, and a VGA front camera round out the main specs.
Nokia claims up to 14.6hrs GSM talktime (up to 9.9hrs WCDMA) or up to 330hrs standby from the 1,300 mAh battery, and the whole thing measures in at 115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02 mm and 127g. No sign of wireless charging, however. The Nokia Lumia 620 will go on sale in Q1 2013.
Meanwhile, Nokia also unveiled the Lumia 920T today, the first TD-SCDMA Windows Phone, headed to China Mobile. Available to order by the end of this month, priced at RMB 4599 off-contract, the Lumia 920T takes the same core functionality of the Lumia 920 we’ve already reviewed but supports China Mobile’s 3G network. It will also have the carrier’s app store, for software and services specific to the Chinese market.
In a recently released survey meant for Xbox Live users, Microsoft got a bit curious about people’s smartphone preferences. Fair enough — they’ve got some skin in the game, after all — but there was something slightly amiss about how the question was framed. What the designers of the survey didn’t seem to realize is that there’s no such thing as an HTC Titan III… or is there?
HTC’s Titan series of Windows Phones was meant to draw crowds with their large screen sizes, but the Titan brand hasn’t yet been stuck on a Windows Phone 8 device. Some (like the folks at CNET) are drawing comparisons between the Titan III and another as-yet unreleased device, the HTC Zenith. It’s hard not to, really — back before HTC officially pulled back the curtains on its pair of Windows Phone 8 devices, a report from The Verge pointed to the existence of three new Windows Phones from the Taiwanese OEM. The entry-level and mid-range models eventually saw the light of day as the HTC 8S and 8X respectively, leaving a glaring hole where that third flagship-tier handset was apparently supposed to go.
The Zenith’s purported spec sheet raised more than a few eyebrows — an unspecified quad-core processor was said to run the show, and the device was said to feature a 4.7-inch Super LCD 2 display and support for 42Mbps HSPA+. That emphasis on sheer screen size is a trait featured by both previous Titan models, as the name sort of implies — Titans I and II both had 4.7-inch Super LCD panels, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Titan III moniker get slapped on another device of that size.
Of course, there’s a another, much simpler possibility here. Marketing research types devote plenty of time and attention to couching their questions just the right way, but it’s still possible that the choice in question is just an unfortunate typo that has riled up certain geeky parts of the web. It’s worth noting that AT&T is running some holiday promotion on the Titan II in an attempt to move old hardware, so it’s possible this whole kerfuffle is an attempt to delve into the effects of holiday promotions on device sales or awareness. Or something. Either way, it’s something to be on the lookout for — HTC has never been the most security-conscious company out there, so expect a deluge of Titan III leaks in the weeks to come if it’s actually real.
In the smartphone universe you’re going to have some sorting to do starting with the carrier your gift receiver is working with. More than likely you’re a parent or a significant other if you’re purchasing a smartphone on-contract for that special someone, this meaning you’ve got a fair understanding of which carrier they’ll be working with. After that, it’s all about finding the best device for them based on their specific wants and needs.
The first and probably most obvious place your mind should be wandering to is the iPhone. With this Apple hero device landing on three major carriers with the launch of the iPhone 5, it’s almost a given at this point in our western society that a person wouldn’t mind receiving an iPhone as a gift. If your special someone is out of the iPhone universe specifically for one reason or another, you’ll want to head down one of two paths: Android or Windows Phone.
With Windows Phone 8 came the launch and relative re-birth of Nokia in an extremely vibrant and fun-loving wave of devices that hit most major carriers in the USA. The biggest and the best of these devices is the Nokia Lumia 920 which is exclusive to AT&T at the moment. After that you’ve got the Nokia Lumia 822 from Verizon, the Nokia Lumia 820 from T-Mobile, and more than likely one or two more additions to the Lumia line before the end of the year. Another heavy contender in this space is the HTC Windows Phone 8X carried by AT&T as well as Verizon and T-Mobile.
As for Android, you’ve got a fierce battle going on between lines and heroes, with four titans making up the entirety of our selections for best-of-the-moment. The most recent big-name drop has been the Google Nexus 4, one of two of LG’s recent beast releases. LG also brings on the Optimus G with AT&T 4G LTE, a slightly more high-powered version of the hardware brought on in the Nexus 4, both of them working with one of the most powerful processors on the market, the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro. This Google hero phone is sold as a 2-year-contract-holding T-Mobile Nexus 4 and as a no-contract Nexus 4 sold online via the Google Play store – they’re both exactly the same device, just different prices based on data plan acceptance.
HTC came out swinging this year and didn’t let up all the way through to Fall with the HTC DROID DNA with Verizon 4G LTE, the current record holder for highest-definition-display on a smartphone. It’s backed up by the whole HTC One crew, leading off with the brand new HTC One X+ for AT&T, a a much more high-powered version of the original with a fantastic NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor in it – hot stuff! The original version is still out there as the HTC One X (without the +), exclusive to AT&T here in the USA. Next in line is the slightly smaller HTC One S carried by T-Mobile in the USA – this device has been upgraded to a much more awesome casing quite recently – a hot pick! The HTC One V is also floating around out there for those of you looking specifically for the HTC branding but not wanting to drop a ton of bills – though the One S is free at times, depending on when you’re shopping – good luck!
Motorola was purchased by Google earlier this year and since they’ve had that extra bump of influence, they’ve made some fantastic handsets that retain their hardcore hardware build and bust out with a newly refined user interface on the inside. The Motorola DROID RAZR M has one of the smallest bezels on the market, making it appear to be just a wickedly bright display sitting in the palm of your hand. The M’s bigger brother DROID RAZR HD sticks with the greatness that was the original DROID RAZR and boosts the processing power as well as the density of the display. The DROID RAZR MAXX HD crowns the collection with all that good stuff plus a massive, gigantic, beastly battery (and it’s still rather thin!)
Then there’s Samsung. If the person you’re buying a gift for doesn’t want an iPhone, chances are they’ll be entirely stoked to get either a Samsung Galaxy S III or a Samsung Galaxy Note II. The big difference is in the ultra massiveness of the Galaxy Note II, that and it’s build-in S-Pen for writing on the screen. The Samsung family of devices creates a friendly software and hardware compatibility ecosystem the lines of which you’ll only otherwise find at Apple – and that’s saying a lot. The Samsung Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II are available on most if not all of the major carriers in the USA and abroad – have a peek at the Galaxy S III here on Verizon as well as AT&T and T-Mobile. The Galaxy Note II we’ve also got several reviews of, hitting on the T-Mobile version and the Verizon version – and keep note that we’ll be taking another look at the Verizon version likely by the time this post is published to see how lovely its data speeds are – otherwise the differences between each of these devices on each carrier is relegated to the carrier-pushed apps and the costs inflicted upon your person. Also the Verizon version of the Note II has a massive beast of a Verizon logo on the front button – it’s fierce!
Another rather odd contender that will certainly surprise your gift-getter is the Nokia 808 PureView running Symbian – that’s not Android, it’s not iOS, and it’s not Windows Phone. This device also has a 41-megapixel camera – truly the most intense camera phone in the history of the world.
It’s time again to call forth the beast from the pits of hacker heaven, that being the legendary HTC HD2, originally running Windows Mobile 6.5 back in 2009, here now with Windows Phone 8. This device has been a bit of a golden egg for hackers over the past few years, with the challenge being to get the newest and most fabulous mobile operating system running on it. Now it seems that even Windows Phone 8, a mobile operating system that has hardware requirements built-in, is no longer safe!
What you’re seeing here above and below are a set of photos from WPCentral showing how the device is indeed running Windows Phone 8, a software that would certainly have to be twisted and tweaked to heck to have it allowed on such a relatively ancient smartphone. With Windows Phone 8.0.97 running on a Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon processor with a single 1GHz Scorpion CPU and Adreno 200 graphics, we’ve got to wonder if the software is able to creep by at a respectable pace.
With its 480 x 800 pixel display across 4.3 inches, users working with this build will still be seeing 217 ppi, a respectable density for a display even by today’s standards. Of course the HTC DROID DNA’s 440 is in a brand new league, but that’s beside the point. Today it’s all about the glory of getting a software working on a device for which it was never intended.
The HTC HD2 has been hacked to work with Windows Phone 7 as well as 7.5 and 7.8 as well – not to mention the most epic port of all: Android. Don’t forget that it ran MeeGo 1.1 as well! Modders from team DFT presents this hack and reminds us that even with Microsoft’s next-level software-hardware security they call “handshaking” in the form of Bitlocker, there’s always a way to get past.
HTC’s new Windows Phone 8X proves that the manufacturer is capable of building a solid Windows Phone 8 device. We’ve already taken a look at AT&T’s version of the 8X, as well as T-Mobile’s variant, but Verizon has the new device in its repertoire as well, and we’ve got it right here in front of us to see what this version offers. Since we already went over the basics as well as the more advanced stuff with the original full review, as well as dabbled around with T-Mobile’s version, I’ll just be briefly providing an overview of Verizon’s version for those who may be interested in grabbing the device from Big Red.
The HTC Windows Phone 8X sports a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 720p display with a pixel density of 342ppi, and it’s protected with Gorilla Glass 2. We have to say that there’s not much to complain about with the display — viewing angles are adequate, and images and text are really crisp. The back consists of a curved piece of soft-touch plastic that provides a wonderful grip for those with butter fingers. The back is also flat enough that the device is able to rest on a surface without rocking back and forth. Holding the device feels great, and since it has a smaller 4.3-inch screen, the overall size of the 8X doesn’t make it overwhelming to hold.
Below: Our own Cory Gunther walks us through Windows Phone 8 using the HTC Windows Phone 8X, which is the same device featured in this review, save for the carrier.
On the top of the handset, you have the headphone jack (enhanced with Beats Audio technology, of course) and the power button, while the volume rocker and a dedicated camera button are placed on the right side, along with the SIM card slot towards the top. On the back, there’s the 8MP shooter with the speaker placed towards the bottom right underneath the carrier branding. The microUSB port is placed directly on the bottom in the center — right where we like it.
On the inside, there’s the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip with a dual-core Krait processor clocked at 1.5GHz — the same chip that’s in the Samsung Galaxy S III and Nokia’s Lumia 920. Partnered with the S4 are Adreno 225 graphics, and there’s also 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (sorry, no microSD slot on this one either).
There’s really nothing to scoff at when it comes to performance. The 8X is fast and snappy, and the animations (which are what makes Windows Phone 8 look really good) are incredibly smooth. Apps opened quickly, and the dedicated camera button on the side of the phone makes it easy to snap a photo, which is great to have, honestly, since the camera app takes a bit of scrolling to get to. The 1800mAh battery is adequate, and while you’ll be able to go most of the day without having to keep it near an outlet, you’ll most likely have to charge it up by the evening with average usage.
Verizon’s version of the Windows Phone 8X has a little bit of the carrier’s own offerings squished inside the rest of the WP8 user interface. Thankfully, Verizon doesn’t go too crazy with the carrier-specific apps. There’s VZ Navigator, NFL Mobile, and My Verizon Mobile, which lets you manage your Verizon account and check to see how many minutes you’ve used up, as well as how much data you have left during the billing period. None of Verizon’s bloatware — if you could even call it that — gets in the way at all, and I actually hardly even noticed that the apps were there.
The 8X has an 8MP f/2.0 rear camera with a 2.1MP front-facing shooter. There’s nothing to complain about here, and while it’s not the best camera on a Windows Phone 8 device, it certainly performs. If you can’t get your hands on a Lumia 920 (which arguably has the best camera on a WP8 handset), the 8X is a good second choice. It handles low-light conditions surprisingly well. Although, even with adequate lighting, images sometimes appear darker than what they should. However, autofocus, as well as auto-exposure and white balance work pretty well.
The dedicated camera button on the side of the device is two-stage, which means you can push the button halfway down to lock in the settings and then all the way down to snap the photo. The button takes a little bit of force in order to push it down all the way, but you can also use the touchscreen as the shutter button for an alternative.
Wrap-up
Essentially, the 8X from HTC is a great and solid device to test out Windows Phone 8. Personally, it was my first time playing around with Windows Phone 8, and while it did take a little bit of time to get used to the UI, Microsoft clearly made a clean and and stylish mobile operating system, and it ran great on the 8X. Overall, if you’re wanting to stick with Verizon as a carrier (thus, taking the Lumia 920 out of the running), the 8X is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a Windows Phone 8 handset. Of course, there’s only a few options to choose from on Verizon, so the competition is still light at this point, but for $199, the 8X can certainly compete with other handsets out of the WP8 group.
It would appear that the Windows Phone universe is growing at a rate that’s at least a little pleasing to the head of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, as he speaks this week at a shareholder meeting. This meeting was held at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington, with the vast majority of its listeners and speakers signing in remotely – as is the common practice for these types of meetings, for those of you unfamiliar. Thus far the response to Steve Ballmer’s comment on Windows Phone selling “four times the rate” it was last year appears to be: without Y, we cannot have X.
This of course means that we don’t have a solid number for the sales of Windows Phone sales at any point other than the analysis that’s been provided by 3rd party companies. With Windows Phone sales safely rolled into a category with the Xbox, we’re not going to know how well the device and operating system combo has been selling at any point. But the percentages remain.
With Ballmer making it clear that Microsoft’s mobile OS is indeed moving on up, we can assume that they’re doing at least relatively well. At four times the sales they were at last year, we can also safely assume that Windows Phone 8 still isn’t getting anywhere near iOS or Android in any respect. That said, we’ve got reports of heavy sales of the Nokia Lumia 920 – selling out in Germany, of all places.
Ballmer also added that 1,500 PCs are now certified for Windows 8 – that’s encouraging for those banking on the next-generation operating system providing them another outlet for their app, as Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 go hand-in-hand with usability and aesthetic form without a doubt. Have a peek at our Microsoft portal right this minute to keep on following this story down the rabbit hole!
If Ballistic cases are the gauge for how the industry is swinging, it’s good news for Nokia and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8, because their newest and most hardcore unit is headed to all the heroes – including the Lumia 920. Included with the standard fare – that being the iPhone 5 first, then a Samsung device (the Galaxy S III here near the end of 2012), it’s the Nokia Lumia 920 that’s up for protection next. And this “Every1″ case is a doozy, too.
What you’re going to see with this case – and case series – is slim protection that’s made to be both rugged and usable by anyone and everyone. This case has built-in Active Latches Suspension Springs to keep the device suspended with a 1mm air gap all around. Built-in port covers keep your device dirt resistant from start to finish, too.
You’ve got a built-in screen protector and there’s a second model also coming with kickstand and easy on-the-go viewing. You’ve got four layers of protection to keep this beast of a case swaddling your smartphone with nothing less than the best protection Ballistic has ever delivered. Adam Stubin, VP of Business Development, Ballistic, has made it clear that they’re pretty pumped up about the whole situation:
“We looked at the best features of our previous series’ and thought ‘why not combine them all? The Every1 Case is exactly that…a protective case that satisfies everyone’s needs.” – Stubin
You’re going to be able to pick this case up for $50 in not just a variety of shapes based on the smartphone you’ve got on-hand, but a variety of colors as well. The Nokia Lumia device owners out there amongst you will know instantly what it means to need color options, that’s for certain – stay bright!
This case will be out for the iPhone 4/5, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Express, and Nokia Lumia 820/920 immediately if not soon at your favorite online (and offline) retailers – color power!
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Windows Phone 8 has not been out for that long yet, and here we are with word that the mobile operating system is about to be hit with an upcoming update, which is always a good thing. Originally referred to as Apollo+, it seems that this OS update is being whispered to be prepared for a February 2013 launch at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, where it is tipped to come with a host of tiny patches, fixes and additions to Windows Phone 8 experience. Dubbed “Portico”, this label will continue the Microsoft tradition of Windows Phone operating system codenames to end in the letter “o”, if history is of any indication with NoDo (7.x), Mango (7.5), Tango (7.5 Refresh) and Apollo (8.0).
The HTC 8X is probably the most readily available Windows Phone 8 smartphone in the USA, and so far, it did not seem to suffer from any shortage. This smartphone is available on the T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon networks in various colors: Red, Yellow, Blue and Black. These are the Windows Theme colors and so far, the public seems to be excited by the idea of getting a brightly colored handset.
