Windows Phone's unique functionality and innovative take on the mobile ecosystem in general has drawn a fair few admirers, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who famously described it as "beautiful" . For all of its plus points however, the real test of a piece of software's credibility is not just in how good it is, but also how many people are willing to use it, and at the moment, neither developers or consumers seem interested enough in Windows Phone for Microsoft to launch a notable challenge against iOS or Android. One app that could really help draw more consumers is Instagram, and although it's been somewhat up in the air as to whether the Facebook-owned app would be making an appearance on Windows Phone, Nokia appears to have stepped out and confirmed that, in fact, it will.
If you're a Windows Phone user, then a lack of apps, or at least quality apps, is something that you're no doubt very familiar with. It's a shame, because the Windows Phone experience is a very good one, but the platform just doesn't boast an app ecosystem like either iOS or Android, and it's putting people off.
Although things have been somewhat quiet from Nokia and Windows Phone 8 in light of the upcoming smartphone releases from Samsung and HTC, the camera of the Finnish company's Lumia 920 is still considered among the best in the business. Conversely, the Samsung Galaxy S Series' snappers have tended to underperform, and while Nokia's flagship completely smoked the Galaxy S III in terms of still camera performance (particularly in low light), the Galaxy S4's much-hyped 13-megapixel offering brings the kinds of improvements you would expect of a next-gen handset. To test one category, one user has taken the opportunity to produce a stabilization comparison video of Samsung's apparent best video camera against that of the 920, which of course includes that much-lauded PureView technology. Which came out on top? Find out, after the break!
One of the perceived downsides of the smartphone industry is the monopolization of devices through carrier locking. At point of sale and when you sign up to a contract with a carrier, it's understandable, but thereafter, getting a handset unlocked can be a trying, if not impossible process. If you want to check whether your device is unlocked for use on any network, a nifty online service completely has your back, and not only is the website incredibly easy to use, but if you're on Android, there's also an app available to download over at the Google Play Store. More details after the break.
Fans of VoIP app Viber will today have noticed that an update to their free calling and texting app of choice has popped up, assuming they’re using a Windows Phone 8 device that is.
If there's one negative that is consistently levelled at Windows Phone, it's the platform's lack of any kind of unified notification system. Unlike Android or iOS, Windows Phone does not feature an area of the operating system that plays host to all new notifications, meaning it can be easy to miss something important.
Instagram is frequently mentioned as one of the many common apps yet to make its way to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, but as users continue to wait for the Facebook-owned app to make its way to the Windows Phone Store, several competitors have emerged looking to offer snap happy WP users a way of sharing snaps with friends and family. Joining the likes of Eye 'Em in the ranks of so-called 'Instagram killers' comes Photoplay, a relatively new app was published to the Windows Phone Store little under a week ago. Compatible only with the newer breed of Windows Phone (8) at this point, a version for the older WP7.x is currently in the works, and with its clean, sleek interface fitting in rather nicely with the look and feel of the Redmond company's mobile OS, it certainly has great potential.
Some claims just seem too much to believe, so when Microsoft's Frank Shaw claimed that the company's Windows Phones had in fact outsold Apple's hugely popular iPhone in seven different markets, more than a few of us were a little skeptical. Turns out he was right, but he didn't tell the entire story. More details right after the jump.
When we think of streaming music services, a few spring to mind. As well as the likes of Grooveshark and Spotify, Pandora is seen as one of the go-to services for personalized radio, and although popular apps are hard to come by on Windows Phone 8, the official Pandora app for Microsoft's recently-updated mobile platform is now upon us. Pandora for Windows Phone 8 has been a long time coming, but it would appear as though it has been worth the wait: it runs better than even the iOS and Android versions, and offers ad-free streaming until the end of the year.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is finally here, and having already compared the device against the HTC One and iPhone 5, we're back with another face-off. This time, the new handset will be pitting its wits against two devices which have been presented with the mammoth task of rejuvenating the fortunes of two once-mighty brands in the mobile industry. Both Nokia and BlackBerry have enjoyed vast successes over the past decade, but as both have struggled in the wake of iOS and Android, the Nokia Lumia 920 on Windows Phone 8, and the BlackBerry Z10 on the BB10 OS, have some real ground to make up if they are to compete with the Galaxy S4. Here, we compare them with yet another like-for-like table of the vital specifications.
