Huawei Windows Phone appears in render, said to be the Ascend W2

Huawei Windows Phone appears in render, could be the Ascend W2

It feels almost unfaithful to the Ascend W1 to be looking at a potential sequel already, but that’s what evleaks claims this is. How he got the image we have no idea, and neither do we have any price or specs to go with it — it’s just this lone render of a Huawei handset running Windows Phone 8 in Chinese. There was actually a previous leak back in April (shown after the break), which also purported to be the Ascend W2 and which did come with some detail: a 720p 4.3-inch display, Snapdragon S4 chip, 8MP rear camera and 1GB RAM for $289. However, today’s picture fails to match up with the earlier one in a number of respects, not least in the shape of the bottom edge and in the position of the front camera / sensor opening next to the earpiece, which means the only certainty here is that they can’t both be right.

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Source: evleaks (Twitter)

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 desktop sync app now out of beta

Windows Phone app for desktop stable version released

A preview build of the Windows Phone 8 app for desktop has been around, but today Microsoft has released a full-fledged version and thrown in some new features to boot. In addition to bug fixes, the stable build comes with the capability to sync files from any folder in your computer (even if it’s an external hard drive), sync non-iTunes podcasts and install updates within the app. Of course, it can still be used to sync media between mobile devices and Windows 7 or 8 PCs, import playlists and monitor how much storage space each type of content is eating up on your phone. You can visit the source for a download link if you own a WP8 device, but check out the sync wizard first if you’re unsure what software to use to sync your files — trust us, it’s much more useful than Clippy ever was.

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Source: Windows Phone Blog

Microsoft and Google make amends, will co-develop a YouTube app for Windows Phone

We’ve gotta give it to Microsoft… building a YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 that strips out advertising and allows users to download streaming videos was one hell of a way to get Google’s attention about the lack of an official app for the platform — even if it managed to attract ire at the same time. Now, multiple reports are coming in that both companies have reached an agreement of sorts, which will result in an app that’s fully compliant with YouTube’s Terms of Service in the coming weeks. You might’ve already guessed it, but unlike Microsoft’s most recent conciliatory update to its YouTube app, the next version will serve up ads. You’ll find a joint statement from both companies after the break. Now that the pair are learning to cooperate, might we suggest they take a look at Gmail?

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Source: The Verge, The Next Web

Remote desktop software Splashtop 2 launches for Windows Phone 8

Remote desktop software Splashtop 2 launches for Windows Phone 8

Slashtop has a proven track record of bringing the full desktop experience to mobile devices, and now its expertise has come to Windows Phone 8 with the launch of the Splashtop 2 app. The remote desktop client for Redmond’s latest mobile OS is free to download until August 31st, and promises to connect you with any PC or Mac running its Splashtop Streamer software. If you want to access computers on your home network, then a Slashtop account and the right software is all you need, but if want to get at your desktop from the road, it’ll cost $1.99 per month for the privilege. We had a brief tinker with the app running on a Lumia 720, so jump past the break for our impressions.

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Source: Windows Phone blog, Windows Phone store

Nokia brings Lumia 925 for T-Mobile to CTIA 2013, we go hands-on

Nokia brings Lumia 925 for TMobile to CTIA 2013, we go handson

We’ve already spent some quality time with Nokia’s handsome Lumia 925 and while it’s no secret the company’s Windows Phone flagship is coming to the US courtesy of T-Mobile, we’d never actually seen the carrier-branded model — until now, that is. Nokia brought T-Mobile’s version of the handset to CTIA 2013 where we took it for a brief spin. As you’d expect, the phone is identical to its global twin save for the operator’s logo below the capacitive button and the radios which support T-Mobile’s bands. Unfortunately, the Lumia 925 we played with was not final, so the software was off limits. In terms of hardware, it features the same 4.5-inch 1,280 x 768 AMOLED screen, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB of storage and 8.7-megapixel camera with OIS. This is definitely one of Nokia’s most attractive designs yet, and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on a review unit soon. In the meantime, why not check out the gallery below?

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Nokia adds sight recognition to Here Maps for Windows Phone 8

Six months after promising to integrate sight recognition technology into its Here suite of apps, Nokia has finally updated Here Maps with LiveSight. The update is available today in the Windows Phone app store and requires Windows Phone 8. By tapping a button in HERE Maps, users can enter LiveSight mode, which will scan the surrounding area and pull up relevant information about nearby locations, like addresses, phone numbers and ratings. Lumia owners familiar with Nokia’s City Lens app will recognize the virtual signs attached to buildings viewed through the camera display and the Here Maps version of LiveSight appears to have similar functionality — including Here’s strongest selling point, offline access. If you want to see LiveSight in action, you can watch Nokia’s preview video after the break.

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Source: Nokia

Google asks Microsoft to remove YouTube app for WP8, takes issue with lack of ads (update: Microsoft responds)

YouTube only recently came to Windows Phone 8 as a full-fledged app, but its availability may be short-lived. According to documents obtained by The Verge, Google has requested that Microsoft remove the app from it Windows Phone Store — and disable installations on devices — immediately. The reason? Apparently the app didn’t get Goog’s stamp of approval before going live, and it blocks the ads that typically run on YouTube. Naturally, ads are an important source of revenue for both Google and no shortage of third parties, so Mountain View may not be out of line for crying foul. And that’s not the only strike against Redmond: according to the cease and desist letter, YouTube on WP8 lets users download videos, in addition to streaming content that’s been restricted on certain devices. Oh, and all the above-mentioned issues violate YouTube’s Terms of Service. Google is giving MS until May 22nd to remove the app — we’re sure this isn’t the last you’ll hear on this subject.

Update: Microsoft has responded. We have the full statement from a Microsoft spokesperson after the break.

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Source: The Verge

BBC iPlayer coming to Windows Phone 8 today (updated)

BBC iPlayer coming to Windows Phone 8 today

Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore has just tweeted that, at some point today, BBC iPlayer is coming to Windows Phone 8. It’s been a long road getting to this point, as the BBC’s and Microsoft’s conflicting technologies don’t play nicely with each other — with this version being a browser-based shortcut rather than a fully-featured app. Still, for the legion of British Windows Phone users dying for their Doctor Who fix while on the go, something is far better than nothing.

Update: And it’s official, so head down to the Windows Store link below to start downloading.

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Source: Joe Belfiore (Twitter), BBC, Windows Store

Windows Phone 8 update coming this summer with CalDAV and CardDAV support

We already got word from Nokia about some new Windows Phone features that’d be trickling out in a forthcoming update, and Microsoft has now filled in some more details on what other phone users can expect. In addition to FM radio support, an update said to be coming to Windows Phone 8 devices “later this summer” will add the previously-promised support for CalDAV and CardDAV to ensure your phone will continue to work with Google’s new sync protocols. Otherwise, you can look for the company’s Data Sense feature to support more carriers (no word on specific ones yet, though), and also expect some minor tweaks to Xbox Music. We’ll keep you posted if we hear more about a specific rollout date.

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Via: @BenThePCGuy

Source: Windows Phone Blog

Nokia marketing head: Customers’ ‘biggest complaint’ is missing apps

Nokia marketing head 'The biggest complaint is that customers are missing the apps they want'

We managed to grab a quick chat with Nokia’s Global Head of Smartphone Marketing, Vesa Jutila, following the global launch of the Lumia 925. When asked about the still-notable absence of some mainstream apps within Windows Phone 8, Jutila was surprisingly frank. With reference to the company’s Lumia series, he said that “the biggest complaint is that customers are missing the apps they want.”

Nokia has been on a recent charm offensive towards Instagram, not least with a mini Twitter campaign, but it announced earlier today that a new Hipstamatic Oggl app will be headed to Microsoft’s mobile OS, capable of sharing through Twitter, Facebook and, yes, Instagram. However, for users coming from other platforms, they may find some first-party favorites missing — with things like Google+ and Amazon Cloud Player being just a couple of examples. Jutila acknowledged that there were “some gaps” but said Nokia is “addressing this very strongly” with the help of Microsoft. He added:

“[Developer attention] is very much driven by the absolute volume of Windows Phones in the market. That’s why we’re so pleased when other manufacturers also make Windows Phones.”

When asked if Nokia has a strategy for a scenario in which it becomes the only manufacturer of Windows Phones, Jutila replied “No, we don’t have a strategy for that.”

Sharif Sakr contributed to this report.

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