The Engadget interview: Nokia’s Kevin Shields talks Windows Phone 8 (video)

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Myriam Joire

Today at the Windows Phone Developer Summit, we had the opportunity to sit down with Kevin Shields, SVP of Program and Product Management at Nokia, and chat about the day's announcements including Windows Phone 8. Our discussion started with the apps Nokia unveiled today -- PlayTo for DLNA support, Nokia Counter to monitor data usage, My Commute for personalized routing, an update of Nokia Music to 3.0 and the Camera Extras imaging suite -- which are rolling out next week for all Lumia handsets running Windows Phone 7.5. Kevin gave us a little more insight on Camera Extras, a set of four apps (Self Timer, Panorama Maker, Action Shot and Smart Group Shot) designed to enhance the camera experience using technology from Nokia's recent Scalado acquisition.

We then moved on to discussing Windows Phone 8 and specifically NFC support, with a small tangent spent on Kevin showing us the recently launched Lumia 610 NFC. The next topic was about what we can expect from Nokia in terms of hardware for upcoming phones running the latest iteration of Microsoft's mobile OS. We know that the first batch of Windows Phone 8 devices will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Plus dual-core SoC, but on the topic of quad-core processors Kevin said "where additional hardware makes a difference, then sure, let's talk about it," adding "we're going to stay committed to the experience." Finally we discussed the future of Nokia's PureView technology and how it fits in with the next generation mobile OS. PureView "is a core technology that we are dedicated to and invested in" said Kevin. Sounds quite promising, right?

We can't wait to see what the next wave of Lumia handsets brings to the table. Until then, go ahead and watch our video interview.

The Engadget interview: Nokia's Kevin Shields talks Windows Phone 8 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm: all new Windows Phone 8 devices to be powered by Snapdragon S4 Plus for now

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Brad Molen

The puzzle pieces are already falling into place, one at a time. After announcing Qualcomm as the exclusive chipset provider for upcoming Windows Phone 8 handsets, we didn't get any word on which models would be used. Fortunately, Qualcomm reps have confirmed to us that all new devices will feature the MSM8960 dual-core Krait (Snapdragon S4 Plus) processor for now. As a sidenote, the company told us that other chipsets may be used at a later time, but Microsoft certainly appears eager to keep to its mantra of a universal experience amongst its phones.

Qualcomm: all new Windows Phone 8 devices to be powered by Snapdragon S4 Plus for now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Lumia 610 with NFC hands-on (video)

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Brad Molen

You never know what's going to be hiding in the deep dark corners of an event, and in our searches during the Windows Phone Developer Summit we came across the Nokia Lumia 610. But this isn't just the standard fare; no, this particular version offers NFC and should soon be making its way to Orange. Yes, by offering Near-Field Communication, the handset will be compatible with Nokia's NFC-enabled accessories like the Essence and Play360. While this elusive device is no stranger to us -- we've seen it shown on video, it's been certified for MasterCard's PayPass service and it's even been blessed by the FCC -- this was the first time we held it in our hands.

So what can we expect from this particular flavor of the Tango-running Lumia 610? Frankly, our impressions matched that of its non-NFC predecessor: build and overall feel remain unchanged from the original version. Naturally Nokia needed to find some space to stick the contacts and antenna, and those are inconspicuously found on the back of the device and on the battery cover, respectively. We still haven't seen any pricing surface, but it's been expected to arrive on Orange at the beginning of next quarter -- which frankly means we could well see it available within the next couple weeks, though we couldn't get an official date. Head below to get a good look at the NFC-enabled glory as well as a brief video showing the phone interacting with the Essence.

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 610 NFC hands-on

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 610 with NFC hands-on (video)

Nokia Lumia 610 with NFC hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: Nokia Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 7.8 (update: full eyes-on!)

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Brad Molen

It may not be the mysterious prototype Joe Belfiore showed off at today's Windows Phone Developer Summit keynote, but it's a nice treat nonetheless: we had the opportunity to sneak a peek at an AT&T-branded Nokia Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 7.8, complete with the brand new Start screen. Because it's at such early stages in the development game, we weren't able to get our own grubby hands on the device and play around with any of the highlighted features, but it was still great to see it working on a real, honest-to-goodness device. What other secrets this software holds will remain that way for now, but we can certainly look forward to an action-packed summer full of interesting revelations.

Update: We were able to snap a few extra images of this very same Lumia 900, but we weren't allowed to touch the screen or interact with the software in any way, since the build we saw of Windows Phone 7.8 is just a special version highlighting the Start screen and is nowhere near final production quality. For what it's worth, we had the opportunity to view a demo of the tiles being resized, and we couldn't detect any flaws in its execution. Check out the full gallery of precious pics below!

Gallery: Windows Phone 7.8 eyes-on

Myriam Joire contributed to this post.

Visualized: Nokia Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 7.8 (update: full eyes-on!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia to bring range of new and updated apps to existing Lumia lineup

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Joseph Volpe

That Nokia would be joining Microsoft on this day of Windows Phone 8 revelations is no surprise -- the companies long ago inked their blood pact on the back of Mango. Now, at today's summit in San Francisco, Espoo's Kevin Shields just announced a slew of new and updated apps to currently available Lumia handsets starting next week. Spreading the love to Mango and above, existing users will be treated to a new DLNA app dubbed PlayTo that allows for video, music and photo sharing wirelessly, Nokia Counter to monitor and manage data usage, My Commute which utilizes Drive to compute travel time and arrange routing and a 3.0 update to Nokia Music.

And, given that this is the company behind PureView, current Lumia devices running Windows Phone will receive an imaging facelift of sorts, augmenting the baked-in optics via Camera Extras. This suite of apps will effectively upgrade the core photo-taking experience with the addition of a self-timer, action shots, panorama and a Smart Group Shot setting (likely built upon Scalado software). So, while your eagerness to adopt that cyan Lumia 900 may not pay off with an upgrade to WP 8, at the very least Nokia is adopting a policy of no Lumia user left (that far) behind.

To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog!

Nokia to bring range of new and updated apps to existing Lumia lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft demos support for NFC-enabled ads, business cards in Windows Phone 8

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Donald Melanson

Microsoft spent plenty of time talking about its NFC-based mobile wallet for Windows Phone 8 today, but it has more than just payments and loyalty cards in mind for the technology. It's also showed off how a Windows Phone 8 device can be used to scan NFC-enabled advertisements or business cards. In the case of ads, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore used a recent issue of Wired to demonstrate how you can simply tap an ad in a magazine and have content pushed straight to your phone -- something that could also be used with posters or other ads out in public. With NFC-enabled business cards, you'd have the ability to automatically import a person's contact information simply by taping their card to your phone which, incidentally, is something that can also be done directly between two Windows Phone 8 devices (a la Android Beam).

Gallery: Windows Phone 8 NFC demo

Microsoft demos support for NFC-enabled ads, business cards in Windows Phone 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft confirms no upgrade path to Windows Phone 8, unveils 7.8 for legacy devices

Posted on 20/06/2012 by James Trew

The debate can now be laid to rest: devices currently running on Windows Phone 7.5 will not be on the receiving end of the long-awaited Apollo update (aka Windows Phone 8). But that doesn't mean those smartphones are at the end of the line. It's long been speculated that the reason Microsoft would want to restrict WP8 to new phones is primarily due to improvements in hardware support and the change in platform architecture, and this conjecture appears to be right on the money. After all, how can single-core devices with WVGA screens take advantage of multi-core and additional resolution support? That part makes sense, but that leaves the software side.

So here's the plan to ensure current Windows Phone users stay happy: a few software benefits will be included in WP8, and a hearty helping of these killer features (such as the new Start screen) will be available to legacy devices in the form of Windows Phone 7.8. There'll be support for three tile sizes, with the smallest being fingertip size (a quarter of the standard square). The update will be delivered directly to users, sidestepping carriers, and can be done over WiFi.

Update: While Microsoft was keen to announce that 7.x apps will run on Windows Phone 8, ZDNet has just confirmed, via a statement from Redmond, that apps built for the new platform won't be backwards compatible:

"New applications compiled specifically for Windows Phone 8 will not be made available for Windows Phone 7.x devices."

To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog!

Microsoft confirms no upgrade path to Windows Phone 8, unveils 7.8 for legacy devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 8 introduces new Start screen

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Billy Steele

Yes, Windows Phone 8 is coming later this year, and it introduces some important changes to the user interface. The most noticeable is probably the new Start screen, which offers more customization and makes more efficient use of its real estate. As a user, you'll be able to choose any tile and tweak its appearance to suit your sensibilities. Sizing can be configured with a resize arrow while in customization mode and offers the option of small, medium or double-wide tiles that span the entire width of the display. All current applications will be automatically designed for small and medium versions by default and devs will be able to dive in to add support for the larger options should they feel the need to do so -- something that until today was reserved for Microsoft and its partners / carriers. What's that? You want more colors? Yeah, you'll get those too.

Gallery: Windows Phone 8 Start screen

To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog!

Windows Phone 8 introduces new Start screen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MS teases Windows Phone 8 enterprise features: Company Hub, encryption, secure boot, IT management

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Zach Honig

At today's Windows Phone Summit, Microsoft alluded to some of the next-gen OS' enterprise features, including a trusted shared Windows core, encryption, secure boot and IT device management. Company VP Joe Belfiore recognized that some business users haven't been satisfied with the operating system's previous suite of enterprise features, and that definitely appears to be one focus of Windows Phone 8. BitLocker Drive Encryption will provide support for device security, while IT administrators will have have the ability to push apps to handsets while sidestepping the Marketplace. Office will also have a greater presence in Windows Phone 8, though we don't know exactly how that will play out just yet. Enterprise clearly hasn't been a primary target of Microsoft's mobile OS to date, but that could very well change beginning this fall.

There's also a new Company Hub feature, which will allow companies their own app distribution pipe, as well as giving IT administrators the ability to highlight specific things depending on what's important to their organization. With so many Windows machines in the workplace, it's pretty smart for Microsoft to take a serious dive into this stuff, and it's honestly really slick. There's also a Microsoft IT app, which the company claims will be provided in template form so that outfits can tweak it to fit specific needs.

To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog!

Continue reading MS teases Windows Phone 8 enterprise features: Company Hub, encryption, secure boot, IT management

MS teases Windows Phone 8 enterprise features: Company Hub, encryption, secure boot, IT management originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft brings NFC payments and loyalty cards to Windows Phone 8

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Donald Melanson

Well it looks like Google Wallet and Apple's Passbook have some new competition. Today at the Windows Phone Developer Summit, Microsoft shared its plans to bring NFC payments and loyalty cards to Windows Phone 8 with its very own mobile wallet feature. It's promising that it will be the "most complete wallet experience" on any phone. That of course includes support for tap-to-pay, the ability to link credit and debit cards, integration with third-party apps and, more uniquely, secure elements on the SIM card rather than the phone itself. You'll also have a PIN code option to protect all purchases on the phone.

As for partners, Orange France is the only one that Microsoft has announced today, but it says that it expects to have a "good solution" with the US carrier-backed Isis initiative sometime next year (though not in time for launch). What's more, the wallet will come loaded on every Windows Phone 8 device, regardless of whether the carrier supports the SIM-based security, which will let folks use at least some of the features.

Check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event in our liveblog!

Gallery: Windows Phone 8 NFC