Let's Talk Tech
Big screen! Little Price! The advertising campaign pretty much writes itself. Microsoft has refreshed the hardware and design of their entry level line. Let’s take a look at the Lumia 640XL!
As part of their roll out for Windows 10, Microsoft will be making their services as accessible as possible to people on all operating systems. They’ll be delivering music apps, for example, which will tie into OneDrive for people to stream their entire music collection anywhere they have data.
Most interesting however is the recent reveal that their digital assistant Cortana will also be going cross platform. Syncing any phone with a Windows 10 PC will setup their companion app which provides deep integration with services on the phone.
Similar to Google Now and Siri, Cortana can look for relevant information in emails and calendar entries, and can respond to voice commands. She’s become popular for having a bit more personality than offerings from Google or Apple.
It’s an interesting move from Microsoft as they shift away from making popular services exclusive to their ecosystem, and opens the door to broad adoption from people on every platform. You can catch more info in their announcement video below.
(via Microsoft)
Microsoft Research has delivered mobile and desktop apps to help us smooth out video and create dynamic timelapse projects with fluid movement. Let’s take a look at Hyperlapse Mobile, and how it compares to Instagram’s Hyperlapse app for iOS!
The LG G4 HANDILY beat the Galaxy S6 in yesterday’s viewer poll. How will LG’s newest shooter compare to the PureView camera on the Lumia 930? Check out the video comparison, then vote below!
Two phones enter! YOU decide which phone leaves!
Watch the video, pitting the Galaxy S6 against the Lumia 930 (Icon) in an Ultra HD showdown, make sure you go fullscreen and bump up the quality, then vote in the poll below!
***Update for tech clarification at the end***
The Windows Phone platform has often been criticized for a lack of apps. Windows 10 will bring new tools for developers to create universal apps that run on Phones, Tablets, Laptops, Hybrids, Desktops, and the XBox.
Yet it can still be difficult courting developers to stray from the iOS and Android duopoly. There have been rumors swirling that Microsoft would be allowing ported Android apps to run on Windows 10, and at the Build Developer conference Microsoft took it one step further.
New tools will be provided to easily transition Java and C++ apps from Android, and developers will also be able to transition Objective C apps from iOS to Windows Phone.
Developers typically focus on iOS first to bring new services to market thanks to the consistency of Apple’s ecosystem. Conceivably, those same developers can invest far fewer resources to bring that service to EVERY device running Windows 10 than moving that same app to Android.
King.com was given as an example of one of the first companies to utilize these new tools, porting Candy Crush from iOS to Windows Phone in a matter of hours.
There’s now even less of a barrier for developers to bring services to the Windows ecosystem, especially as Microsoft expects Windows 10 to be on over one billion devices within the first year of release, handily outpacing the number of gadgets running iOS 8 or Android 5.0.
***Update***
For those wondering, Microsoft will be adding a subsystem to Windows 10 that can run Android Open Source Project software. The APK’s which install Android apps will be installed directly, in a secure partition, though if apps call certain API’s or depend on services Google wont allow on Windows, then obviously the app wont work. Microsoft will be providing tools to easily port certain actions, say an App calls for Google Now, it can be pointed over to look for Cortana instead.
For iOS apps, Microsoft is providing software for devs to completely recompile apps written in Objective C. iPhone apps will not be running in Windows Phone in the same way Android apps will run in a little emulation pocket.
While we’ll have to wait for Windows 10 on more devices to see the fruits of Android APK support, Microsoft has already released the iOS re-compiler for free, which hopefully means we’ll start seeing iOS services show up in the Windows store soon.
Lenovo is building out a line of small form factor PC’s under the “THINK” branding. The hardware certainly has a business-grade focus, and can be paired with an excellent monitor dock. Is the M83 a good fit for personal use too? Let’s take a look!
Microsoft quietly took the wraps off their new Surface tablet, and it looks like a winner! Here’s the full scoop on their new consumer focused Windows tablet!