Windows Phone 7 Foursquare app re-released, tweet counts rise rapidly

Bummed about the myriad issues surrounding the original Foursquare app for Windows Phone 7? The troublesome program was pulled due to lacking features and a rather sub-par user experience, leaving mayors everywhere unable to verify their credentials for hard-earned discounts. Well fret no more, friends. A new version of the mobile check-in application has been released, showing off a retooled interface that takes full advantage of Microsoft’s panoramic UI. Among other features are live tile, tap-and-hold check-in, and a map that shows friends’ check-ins alongside nearby specials. Version 2.0, as it’s being called, is now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace — your Twitter followers have probably missed all of your Taco Bell Fourthmeal check-ins anyway.

Windows Phone 7 Foursquare app re-released, tweet counts rise rapidly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slash Gear, Mobile Burn  |  sourceFoursquare  | Email this | Comments

The Engadget app for Windows Phone is here

The Engadget app for Windows Phone is here

25,000 apps? Make it 25,001. The Engadget app for Windows Phone is here. Finally. Now your HD7 or Surround or Trophy or Omnia can get some native news in a format that’s so Metro it doesn’t even have a driver’s license. We know that it took awhile, but we needed it to be right, and now it is. On the app you can get all the posts from the main site as well as Mobile and HD, plus podcasts, videos, and all the content we pour our hearts in to every day, pushed right to your palm. If you have a Windows Phone device that can handle QR codes, there’s an image waiting for you after the break. Or, you’re welcome to click on the source link below, which should open the Zune app and make some magic happen. No Zune app installed? No magic, but maybe that just means you’d prefer our similarly enchanting iPad, iPhone, webOS, BlackBerry, or Android flavors?

Continue reading The Engadget app for Windows Phone is here

The Engadget app for Windows Phone is here originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone Marketplace now populated by 25,000 apps, speeding up rate of growth

It’s not just Apple’s App Store striding past milestones today, Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace has also rounded a notable marker in its development. Specifically, it’s now reported to have passed 25,000 apps by one site tracking comings and goings within it, though that figure’s up for debate as the other WP7 apps tracker still lists the total at just under 25k. The main point is that the WP7 ecosystem is growing, and faster than previously at that — it took until the end of March to accrue 11,500 apps, a span of five months from its launch, whereas the last 13.5k have come in the brisker period of three months. Provided this acceleration continues, and there’s no reason to expect it’ll slow down with Mango on the horizon, Microsoft’s mobile OS reboot promises to be in pretty competitive shape in time for its first anniversary — a notable feat considering how far behind WinMo had fallen. Perhaps RIM can use this as an instructive example?

[Steve Ballmer image courtesy of Reuters]

Windows Phone Marketplace now populated by 25,000 apps, speeding up rate of growth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gadgetsteria, WinRumors  |  sourceWindowsPhoneAppslist  | Email this | Comments

HTC Eternity leaked: 1.5GHz processor, 4.7-inch display, front-facing camera

As the world runs short on snarky phone titles (and in fact, starts using a couple of the gems on more than one occasion), we’re left to overlook the moniker here while focusing on what’s important: that display. In fact, the 4.7-inch WVGA Super LCD shown here actually does seem to extend on for Eternity, and if HTC Inside‘s leak pans out, we could be looking at the world’s next WP7 superphone. It’s bruited that this fellow will be shipping with a single-core 1.5GHz processor, 8 megapixel camera (autofocus, dual LED flash), a 720p movie mode, front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, 16GB of storage, DLNA support, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and a 1,650mAh battery. That’s a pretty startling list of features, and savvy Windows Phone followers will recognize that the Mango update will indeed be necessary before that front-facing shooter becomes useful. Needless to say, we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more, as essentials like price and release have thus far eluded us.

HTC Eternity leaked: 1.5GHz processor, 4.7-inch display, front-facing camera originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angry Birds lands on Windows Phone 7, ready to explore the third ecosystem

Nowadays, you can’t really claim to have a mobile OS worthy of the title if your users can’t run Angry Birds on it. Good news from Microsoft, then, as Windows Phone 7 can finally be admitted at the grown-up table now that it has released its port of Rovio’s epic bird-launching experience. $2.99 is the Marketplace price for the full version, though there’s also the option to try out the first few levels for free. Because, you know, there might still be people out there who haven’t yet been exposed to the charms of this perniciously addictive little game.

Continue reading Angry Birds lands on Windows Phone 7, ready to explore the third ecosystem

Angry Birds lands on Windows Phone 7, ready to explore the third ecosystem originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)

Make no mistake, Microsoft isn’t playing coy in the smartphone market any longer. The folks in Redmond are making a significant jump forward in the mobile arena, announcing that the upcoming version of Windows Phone, codenamed “Mango,” will be heading to a device near you in time for the holidays. As its competitors have raised the bar of expectations to a much higher level, Microsoft followed suit by adding at least 500 features to its mobile investment, which the company hopes will plug all of the gaping holes the first two versions left open.

We received a Samsung Focus preloaded with the most recent developer build (read: not even close to the market release version) and we had a few good days to put it through its paces. It’s still far from completion, as there were several key features that we couldn’t test out; some weren’t fully implemented, and others involved third-party apps that won’t be updated until closer to launch. Yet we don’t want to call this build half-baked — in fact, it was surprisingly smooth for software that still has at least four months to go before it’s available for public consumption.

At the risk of sounding ridiculously obvious, we’re mighty interested in seeing the final result when all is said and done this holiday season. As a disclaimer, we can’t guarantee that the stuff we cover here will actually look or act the same when it’s ready to peek out and make its official introduction in Q4; as often happens, features and UI enhancements are subject to be changed by the Windows Phone team as Mango gets closer and closer to release. Let’s get straight to brass tacks, since there’s a lot of details to dive into. It’d be best to grab a large beverage (we’d recommend a Big Gulp, at least), find your most comfortable chair, and meet us after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More Mango features uncovered: in-browser audio streams, Xbox Live voice chats, and more (video)

Nokia WP7 MangoWhile we wait (rather impatiently, we might add) for Mango to make its official debut others are still playing with test builds, pouring over code, and digging up interesting tidbits about Microsoft’s mobile OS update. That WP7 will be getting improved HTML5 support is nothing new but, that it will specifically support in-browser audio and continue to stream even if you navigate away from the browser or lock the screen, is music (literally) to our ears. Snippets discovered in a recent Mango dump have also turned up mentions of Xbox Live Voice chat, parties, multiplayer gaming, and tighter integration with the 360 for pushing Live content to your big screen. If you hit the WPSauce source link you’ll find a whole host of other fascinating things in the WP7 code, and some details about just how deeply Facebook will be tied to the OS. But, before you go, check out the video of the HTML5 audio support in action after the break.

[Thanks, Charlie]

Continue reading More Mango features uncovered: in-browser audio streams, Xbox Live voice chats, and more (video)

More Mango features uncovered: in-browser audio streams, Xbox Live voice chats, and more (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink EntertainmentConnected, WMPU  |  sourceWPSauce, WinMobile.se  | Email this | Comments

Nokia N9: are you buying one?

Why hello Nokia, we can see you’ve lost a few buttons and gussied yourself up with a new version of MeeGo. Very nice. That new outfit is a one-off affair, you say? Not to be repeated? We’re a little sorry to hear that, although we have to admit — those metro threads don’t look half bad on you either. We wonder what your adoring public will think? Shall we ask? Yes, let’s.

View Poll

Nokia N9: are you buying one? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Stephen Elop is still over MeeGo, even if the N9 is a hit

An awful lot has been happening in Nokialand over the past week. A few days ago, we spent our first real quality moments with the much discussed N9, and we were pretty blown away by the MeeGo smartphone. Fast forward a mere two days, and we catch wind of a pretty suspicious looking leak of “Sea Ray,” the company’s first Windows Phone handset where else but sitting firmly in the hand of CEO Stephen Elop. Just in case that brand of corporate subtlety didn’t quite drive the point home, the executive gave an interview with Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat this week, confirming the nearly universal suspicion that it will abandon the Linux-based OS. Elop told the paper that, even if the N9 proves a massive hit, Nokia is going to turn its attention to other, more Windows Mobiley things.

[Thanks, Vezance]

Nokia’s Stephen Elop is still over MeeGo, even if the N9 is a hit originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Maemo  |  sourceHelsingin Sanomat  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft details the new Games Hub for Windows Phone Mango

Still not clear on what your gaming options will be like with Windows Phone Mango? Then Microsoft’s now got you covered with a fairly extensive overview of its new Games Hub, which has actually been tweaked a bit further from earlier previews it’s offered. One of the biggest changes is that the Hub now includes features previously relegated to the separate Xbox Live Extras app, including improved Xbox Live messaging, integrated achievements (complete with comparison views with your friends), and the ability to edit your Xbox Live profile — not to mention fully animated 3D avatars. The Hub also boasts a new Collection view that promises to let you more easily manage your installed Windows Phone games, and it’s literally been brightened up a bit across the board. Check out the gallery below for a closer look, and hit the source link for some more details.

Microsoft details the new Games Hub for Windows Phone Mango originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWindows Phone Blog  | Email this | Comments