Tag: Microsoft

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Nokia Begins Rollout for Windows Phone 8.1 and Lumia Cyan Updates

We’ve been covering the Developer Preview of Windows Phone 8.1, and it looks like Nokia is ready to push the button on sending it out to the masses. The WP8.1 update will also include Nokia’s collection of software updates dubbed “Lumia Cyan”, and it’ll unlock a few new features in apps already available for the platform.

Here’s our full walk through of WP8.1 where you can see the new Action Center Notification tray, Cortana, WiFi Sense, and more.

We’ll also see improvements to the Lumia Camera app for autofocus and RAW capture, and refinements to audio recording in video on the Icon and 1520.

Best of all, if you currently have a Windows Phone 8 device, you will be receiving the update to 8.1. There’s no word yet on which phones will start getting it first, but the worldwide rollout begins today. For more info and to check availability, hit Nokia’s support page.

Related:
Transfer Apps from Phone Storage to an SD Card in WP8.1!
App Review: Files File Manager for Windows Phone 8.1!
Windows Phone 8.1 Keyboard Tips and Tricks!

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Nokia Lumia 635 coming to T-Mobile July 9th

Lumia-635-2Nokia is raising the stakes on the entry-level game.

After scoring a hit with last years low-cost wunderphone the Lumia 520, the follow up this year is looking to continue that tradition of not punishing people for buying a “cheap” handset.

This will be the first phone to properly ship with Windows Phone 8.1 (our full review of Microsoft’s new OS), and it’s coming first to T-Mobile. Starting July 9th you can score one for $0 down and only $7 a month added to your plan. It’ll be less than $170 if you want to buy it outright.

A 4.5″ screen is powered by a Qualcomm 400 series quad core, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage (with MicroSD card expansion up to 128GB), a 5MP rear camera, an 1830mAh battery, and LTE for T-Mo’s 4G network.  It’s a solid step up from the Lumia 520, and more than covers the basics for someone wanting a solid smartphone experience.

The 635 will eventually land on other carriers, but Lil Magenta is where you can get it first. It’ll be closely followed by the Lumia 930, which we got a sneak peek of in the Verizon Lumia Icon. Nokia produced a hands on of the 635, which you can watch below.

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FFC VLOG: #ListenWithLumia at the Firefly 2014 Music Festival! (Shot on Lumia 1520)

I had an AMAZING weekend thanks to the Lumia and Mix Radio crews flying a bunch of fun folks out to Delaware to hit the Firefly 2014 music festival!

Four days of live music and fun. I had a blast hanging out with amazing people and making some new friends. Here’s my recap of the weekend!

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App Review: Files for Windows Phone 8.1 -or- How to share full resolution photos from a Nokia Phone.

File management sounds boring, but it’s a really big deal, giving us control over what pics, vids, and documents live on our phone and who we can share them with. It’s something Android users take for granted, and now Windows Phone owners have the same capabilities!

Best of all, for people using Nokia handsets, this Files app finally gives us access to the full resolution pictures on our phones to back up and share online!

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Microsoft Shows Off New Surface Pro 3 Laptop/Tablet Hybrid PC

51Surface Pro 3 NYC EventAt a press event in New York City today, CEO Satya Nadella discussed the company’s hardware strategy, emphasizing that Microsoft was not competing with their manufacturing partners, but using their hardware experiments to push the boundaries of their software and hardware integration.

34Surface Pro 3 NYC EventHead of the Surface Team, Panos Panay took the stage with a couple quips regarding Microsoft’s press coverage in the past. Discussing the market, where 96% of tablet owners still own a laptop, Panay took the wraps off the Surface Pro 3. Featuring an even thinner design, 9.1mm almost 2 milimeters thinner than the Surface Pro 2, it’s the slimmest Core i7 product available. Microsoft estimates a 10% performance boost over the Pro 2.

2Surface Pro 3 NYC EventThe screen size has increased to a 12 inch diagonal with a new 3:2 aspect ratio and a proper 2K resolution of 2160×1440. All of this improvement without increasing weight, and Surface Pro 3 will come in at 800 grams. Yet we’ll likely see about a 10-20% improvement in battery life.  Continue reading “Microsoft Shows Off New Surface Pro 3 Laptop/Tablet Hybrid PC”

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Microsoft Publishes Help Pages for Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1

cortana-home-callout_InvariantCulture_DefaultAnother sign that we might be getting close to the public release of Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft has published a Help site for those curious about Cortana’s capabilities.

Divided into different sections, it’s a detailed overview of Cortana’s various features and what voice commands you can give her.

If you haven’t already updated your Windows Phone using the developer preview, you’ll be in for a treat soon. We have a full overview of WP8.1 below!

Meet Cortana – Microsoft Help Page

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Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview Update: Bug Fixes & Better Battery Life

windows phone 8_1 developer preview updateBefore the Windows Phone 8.1 update goes live for all, it looks like Microsoft has a small update for folks running the Developer Preview.

There isn’t an official changelog, but Microsoft’s Windows Blog claims bug fixes and better battery life. A nice bit of polish as the phones I’ve run the Developer Preview on have all seen less run time since updating. Fingers crossed this handles background apps and multitasking slightly better as Battery Sense routinely tells me apps like Internet Explorer are running down battery. We can also hope this will clear up the issue some 1520 owners have complained about their devices not waking up quickly after the screen has been off for a while.

Following the update, we also saw some core apps had updates ready to go as well. Nokia Camera, XBox Music, Videos, and Games all had minor bug fixes rolling out.

If you’re rocking the Developer Preview, head to Settings and scroll down to Phone Update to get the latest and greatest. If you’re not running the Developer Preview, you can at least be sure that when the official update is released it will have been through quite a bit of trouble shooting.

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Microsoft Delivering XBox One Without Kinect for $399

xbox kinect 399They said it would never happen, but seeing as how even the release of Titanfall couldn’t help Microsoft close the gap on Sony PS4 sales, it would seem more drastic action was needed.

Announced via Youtube video today, Microsoft took the wraps off their plans to off consumers more pricing choices with an XBox One minus a Kinect smart camera. The reaction here has been mixed, as many early adopters were confident that there wouldn’t be a less expensive offering and ate the $100 difference between One and PS4. This also casts some doubt on what third party development there will be for the wunder-camera, if game devs don’t think every member of their audience will have one.

Does a $100 price drop (and lack of Kinect) change your mind about investing in the XBox ecosystem? Drop us a comment below!

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