Hasta La Gadget!

Brits who’ve been yearning for the Nokia Lumia 1520 will soon get their chance. The supersized Windows Phone is now due to reach the UK on December 6th, when it will be available through O2 at retail and Vodafone through the web. Third-party retailers like Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u will also stock the 6-inch flagship. While the exact pricing will vary, Vodafone will sell the phone for £80 when it’s attached to a £38 per month plan and a 2-year contract; it will be available for free if you subscribe to a beefy £47 plan. The 1520 will undoubtedly be one of the more expensive handsets in the country, then, but it may be worthwhile for those who want one of Nokia’s most powerful devices.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

Comments

Source: Nokia

These days, a mobile OS is only as good as its ecosystem, and no company knows this fact more than Microsoft. Its smartphone platform known as Windows Phone has had plenty of growing pains during the first three years of existence, which is mainly related to a limited number of big apps and game titles. Despite these struggles, Microsoft has slowly but surely been able to court heavy-hitting developers — even if only one or two at a time. Today, however, a gaping hole in the Windows Phone Store will be plugged, as Instagram will be available as a free download beginning today around 2pm ET.

The Instagram app, which will be available only for Windows Phone 8 (sorry, legacy users), will offer Live Tiles that refresh with new data on the Start screen, and will also come with support for fast-resume; sadly, there are quite a few features that won’t be available right away, such as video capture and uploading, photo tagging, viewing geotaxis and — arguably the most important — in-app image capture. Instagram explains that it wanted to get the app out to users as quickly as possible, so a few features had to be left out of the first version (which Instagram is calling a beta), but it assures us that future updates will come with plenty more functionality (as updates are often wont to do). Still, the addition of official support by Instagram is a good indicator of health for Windows Phone.

Update: Despite Microsoft’s and Instagram’s repeated assurance that in-app image capture would not be available, it appears that it’s actually included in the official app after all. Pressing the camera button takes you into the camera roll by default, but choosing the camera icon allows you to take a pic. Once you take the image, it auto-selects that shot and lets you upload it through Instagram.

%Gallery-slideshow122524%

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Microsoft

Comments

Grand Theft Auto V players with Windows Phones have been missing out on the game’s iFruit companion app for a full two months, but they’re getting their turn today. The newly available port shares the same features we’ve seen in its Android and iOS counterparts, letting criminal masterminds tune their rides and take care of Franklin’s dog Chop. Those eager to visit Los Santos Customs from the comfort of their Lumias can download iFruit now from the Windows Phone Store.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile

Comments

Via: Windows Phone Central

Source: Windows Phone Store

Google may not always be kind to Windows Phone users, but it’s showing them some love today with an update to its self-titled search app for the platform. The new release lets users sign into their Google accounts, preserving their search history as they hop from device to device. It also shows voice commands as they’re spoken. While the app still doesn’t include Google Now or many other perks from the equivalent Android and iOS clients, the improvement is large enough that searchers will want to swing by the Windows Phone Store for an upgrade.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google

Comments

Via: WMPoweruser

Source: Windows Phone

Android and iOS users have long been using their Facebook account for single click logging in to apps, and soon Windows 8 and Windows Phone users will be able to do the same. While the feature’s is still in its early stages (on WP8, it’s still in beta) Microsoft has announced that Foursquare, Adobe (Revel, Photoshop Express) and iHeartRadio are the first to get in on the action. Similar to Facebook Login on other platforms, using it will make it easier to share content from within the app, and connect your account info without punching in the credentials yet again. Foursquare will post your check-ins, the Adobe apps will let you upload photos easily, and you can share the station you’re listening to on iHeartRadio. Facebook users will probably want to keep an eye on their privacy settings to avoid oversharing, while holdouts from the social network can remain assured that Microsoft’s own account system is still positioned as the primary way to log in on the platform.

Filed under: Mobile

Comments

Source: Microsoft (1), (2), Facebook