Tag: Windows Phone

Posted on

Nokia Unveils Lumia 930 – An International Version of the Lumia Icon

I totally called it! My review of the Icon was LITERALLY labeled “A Glimpse of Things to Come”, and I was absolutely on the right track! The unveiled Lumia 930 will be an international version of the Icon currently available on Verizon Wireless.

nokia lumia icon nano sim tray long term review somegadgetguyThankfully, in true Nokia fashion the Lumia 930 will arrive in a variety of colors instead of stingy VZW and their black or white options. The hardware looks largely unchanged from the Icon, the same metal and polycarb build, the same wireless charging built in.

We’ll likely see the Lumia 930 release closer to the proper release of Windows Phone 8.1. It’ll likely follow the Lumia 630 as the second phone to launch with the WP8.1 OS.

If you’re curious to see how the Lumia 930 is going to perform, we’ve been producing long term reviews of the Icon, including speaker and camera tests, all available below!

Long Term Review!
Continue reading “Nokia Unveils Lumia 930 – An International Version of the Lumia Icon”

Posted on

Microsoft BUILD 2014 Developer Conference Kicks Off with Windows Phone 8.1, New Phones

micromax and prestigioIt’s  a big day for Microsoft. Kicking off their BUILD Developer Conference, Joe Belfiore took us through an on stage demo of  Windows Phone 8.1 and the new Cortana digital assistant.

New Phones

Microsoft announced new partnerships with MicroMax and Prestigio to develop hardware. These companies should help expand Windows Phone’s presence in European, African, and Asian markets.elop lumia 930 b

lumia 930 bOf course the premier line of Windows Phone handsets is the Nokia Lumia line. Stephen Elop took the stage to show off the Lumia 930, which looks like an international version of the Lumia Icon we’ve been reviewing over the past several weeks, only now we’ll have more colors than stingy Verizon was willing to offer up.

dual simNokia also has two mid range phones on the way, the Lumia 630 with 3G and dual sim variants, and the Lumia 635 with 4G LTE. The dual sim 630 will show off different colored Live Tiles for each of the sim accounts.

The Lumia 630 will be priced at $159 for single sim, $169 for dual sim, and $189 for LTE, and it’ll be the first phone to land with Windows Phone 8.1. It wasn’t announced what the screen resolution of the 630 will be, but it is arriving with the newer 3 rows of Live Tile arrangement found on the 1520 and Icon. Cortana will also be arriving for these entry level handsets.

ALL Nokia Windows Phone 8 Lumias will be upgraded to WP8.1 this summer, which is exciting even down to customers who opted for a sub-$100 Lumia 520, especially when compared to the Android market at that price point.

Windows Phone 8.1 Updates

A ton of new features and polish are coming to the Windows Phone platform. Demonstrated on stage, here’s a short list of some of the highlights!

word flow keyboardWordFlow keyboard is getting gesture “Swype” style typing. You can now slide your thumb around the keyboard to create words. This new keyboard now holds the Guinness Book world record for fastest text entry. Continue reading “Microsoft BUILD 2014 Developer Conference Kicks Off with Windows Phone 8.1, New Phones”

Posted on

APP Review: MOVE by NiTako

moveA copy

Do you love a game that can really change your mind? I may just have the brain shifting game for you!

MOVE developed by NiTAKO has really done an outstanding job of developing a game that really puts your brain to work! MOVE starts out easy and laid back. So here’s the deal. You need to maneuver 3 different colored circles into position. Those circles move together as one unless they are blocked. The less moves you make will give you a higher ranking.  MOVE will get harder with each level when you have to move 5 circles instead of 3.

wp_ss_20140105_0052    wp_ss_20140105_0053 Continue reading “APP Review: MOVE by NiTako”

Posted on

Nokia Shows Off Lumia Icon Smartphone, coming to Verizon February 20th

nokia lumia icon verizonIt’s official! The next Lumia headed to VZW will be branded “Icon” instead of some string of numbers.

Icon looks to bridge some of the new high power internals found on Nokia’s 1520 phablet with a slightly more phone-like form factor. The 5″ OLED screen is 1080p, and it’s packing the Qualcomm 800 quad-core we’ve all come to know and love in our high end phones. 32GB of storage will be on board with 2GB of RAM to keep all your apps fed. Best of all, Icon retains internal wireless charging based on the Qi standard, so no futzing with sleds or cases.

nokia lumia icon verizon rearFor you A/V freaks, the 20MP shooter from the 1520 will make another appearance, as will the high fidelity quad microphone array which allows for incredible sound and solid noise reduction on your videos.

Bridging the boxy design of the Lumia 928 with a slimmer  Aluminum build and curved glass, it’s an attractive piece. Not as curvy as the phones we’ve used on AT&T, but distinctive and modern.

The phone will drop on February 20th for $199.99 with a two year agreement. Purchasing before March 16 will also get you a free wireless charging dock.

More info on Nokia’s site, or see their teaser vid below!

Posted on

Review: Nomad ChargeCard & ChargeKey, Wallet or Keychain USB Cable

I carry an original ChargeCard with me everywhere I go. Keep it in my wallet, and I always have a USB cable handy to charge my phone or sync data.

It’s come in handy for those times I’m out with friends at night, and someone’s phone is about to die. People don’t often want to bother with keeping cables in pockets or purses, and there are situations where even having a car charger wont help.

Nomad has refreshed the design of the ChargeCard, and they’re introducing a new, even smaller solution with ChargeKey. Let’s take a look!

My original review of ChargeCard 1.0. 
More info: http://www.hellonomad.com/

Posted on

Microsoft Releases Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Mahjong for Windows Phone

microsoft solitaire collectionI’m honestly surprised it took them this long.

For those of you who like classic Windows games, fire up the Windows App Store on your WP device and get downloading! The updated and pretty versions of Solitaire, Mahjong and Minesweeper that you would find on Windows 8 computers are now available for Windows Phone 8 handsets. Before we flung angry birds and crushed candy, these were the height of computer casual gaming. It was a simpler time…

All three feature XBox Live integration allowing you to earn achievements, and all of you friends will be able to see how much you suck at old games. They’re all free, so go get at it!

Minesweeper for Windows Phone 8
Mahjong for Windows Phone 8
Solitaire Collection for Windows Phone 8

Posted on

Microsoft launches Xbox Video and Music apps for Windows Phone

xbox music screenshotFinally some synergy!

When you have good video and music services on your popular game console, and you have a struggling phone platform, how does it take you this long to pair them together? Well wait no more Windows Phone users. If you’re tied into Xbox Music and Xbox Video, you can now utilize those services on your Xbox Windows Phone.

Xbox Music is a subscription service designed to compete against Spotify, Google Play All Access, and Pandora. It’s been available for Android and iOS, and now those of you using Windows Phones can get a piece of the action too.

Xbox Video is the movie purchase/rental service found on Microsoft’s game consoles. Now when you buy or rent films and TV shows you can watch them on your phone, tablet, PC or Xbox. It’s the next step towards total Live Tile domination, offering Windows solutions and services for every single screen a consumer might want.

xbox video screenshot

Again, it’s been a little frustrating seeing how divisive the Microsoft ecosystem had become, with services not moving fluidly between different screen sizes. It’s one area Apple and Google were cleaning up, but now Microsoft looks like it’s finally getting it’s ducks in a row. Microsoft can a dangerous competitor when you give them a chance to catch up.

The branding is crucial here too. Notice these aren’t “Windows” services (what with Windows 8 still struggling to find positive consumer mind share), but “Xbox” services. Not a bad play considering the popularity of the Xbox.

Go get ’em folks!

Xbox Music for Windows Phone (Microsoft App Store)

Xbox Video for Windows Phone (Microsoft App Store)

Proudly powered by WordPress