Tag Archives: WindowsPhoneDeveloperSummit

Amazon Audible hits WP 7.5, brings gesture controlled audiobooks (update)

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Amazon Audible hits WP 75, brings gesture control to audiobooks, lacks voice control

It didn't land in the Marketplace yesterday as announced, but Amazon's Audible audio book app for Windows Phone 7.5 is now available for download. This Metro-fied version of the app is free to install (including some short samples to get you started), and signing in with your Amazon account lets you purchase any books that the service has on offer. Media can be controlled using a swipe gesture interface, and there are even varying levels of badges to reward how much of a book-worm you become. That said, we haven't been able to use the voice control functionally shown off by Microsoft at its Developers Summit is naturally a WP 8-only affair, so you won't find that feature here. If you're eager to get your literary listening on, you'll find a download and more info about the app at the source link below.

Update: As many of you have pointed out in the comments, the voice control aspect is specific to Windows Phone 8. We've updated our language in the post to reflect this.

Amazon Audible hits WP 7.5, brings gesture controlled audiobooks (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Relive the Windows Phone 8 ‘sneak peek’: Developer Summit video now streaming

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Still haven't been able to satiate your desires to see Joe Belfiore and Windows Phone 8 in action with our coverage of the Developer Summit? Lucky for you, the folks at Microsoft have just put up the whole thing up in video form for you to watch from the comfort of your monitor. So what are you waiting for? Windows Phone 7.8 and 8 won't get here until the fall, but the "sneak peek" is available now at the links below.

Relive the Windows Phone 8 'sneak peek': Developer Summit video now streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

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The Engadget interview Nokia's Kevin Shields talks WIndows Phone 8

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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Editorial: Engadget on Windows Phone 8

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Editorial Engadget on Windows Phone 8

Another day, another major announcement from Microsoft -- and yes, another round of opinions from your humble team at Engadget. Today it's Windows Phone 8, the (finally) formally announced successor to the company's mobile platform. Rather tragically, there's no upgrade path from any current Windows Phone device (the 7.8 stopgap notwithstanding). Your hot new cerulean blue Lumia 900? It'll be obsolete this fall. Join us after the break to get our thoughts on that and all the other bits of information gleaned today -- right after you read our initial thoughts from the original Windows Phone 7 Series, to see just how far we've come.

Continue reading Editorial: Engadget on Windows Phone 8

Editorial: Engadget on Windows Phone 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:20:00 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

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

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)

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Nokia Lumia 610 with NFC handson

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!)

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Visualized Nokia Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 78

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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Windows Phone Marketplace has 100,000 published apps, counts Words with Friends and Draw Something among ’em

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Windows Phone Marketplace now has 100,000 published apps, counts Words with Friends and Draw Something among 'em

It's not quite App Store numbers, but the Windows Phone Marketplace has finally managed to break the six-digit published apps barrier (making good on the promise of all those app submissions) as Microsoft just announced that its mobile users now have over 100,000 apps to choose from. And, while it may not be as big a deal as multi-core proccessor support, a new Start screen, or turn-by-turn navigation, Microsoft just told of two more apps that'll be popping up in the Marketplace soon. That's right, a duo of Zynga's most popular titles, Words with Friends and Draw Something, are coming to Windows Phone. Congratulations, all you Microsoft mobile aficionados, your time-wasting can now reach levels previously seen only by your iOS and Android-toting friends.

Windows Phone Marketplace has 100,000 published apps, counts Words with Friends and Draw Something among 'em originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 8 updates coming over the air, early access to ‘registered enthusiasts,’ 18 month support program announced

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Windows Phone 8 updates coming over the air, early access to 'registered enthusiasts,' 18 month support program announced

Tired of plugging your Lumia 900 into your PC or Mac in order to apply software updates? Tough luck -- you'll still be doing it while future buyers snack on Windows Phone 8. Harshness aside, Microsoft made clear at today's Windows Phone Summit that all WP8 updates will be delivered over the air, with an available program to give "registered enthusiasts" early access prior to broad consumer pushes. The real kicker, however, is this line: "Devices are supported with updates for at least 18 months." For those keeping count, the Lumia 900 shipped here in the US on April 8th. Two months later, it's already confirmed that the flagship WP7 handset in America won't get Windows Phone 8. We'd also like to take this opportunity to remind you just how poorly an identical promise from Google went over in May of 2011. You may remember Andy Rubin confessing that an 18 month Android update program was being put into place at Google I/O 2011, and here we are -- halfway through 2012 -- and we've still heard zero details on how that's being policed. Pardon our skepticism, but we'll need to see it to believe it.

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

Windows Phone 8 updates coming over the air, early access to 'registered enthusiasts,' 18 month support program announced originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:05:00 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

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

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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