When Microsoft detailed what would be part of its Windows Phone 8.1 update, one of the features that caught our eye was the introduction of 'Project My Screen.' Having the ability to display a smartphone's screen output on a computer may not seem too exciting at first, but if you throw a touch-screen monitor into the equation, things start to get interesting. Unfortunately though, the PC aspect of the whole thing wasn't quite ready, leaving eager tweakers to sit on their hands and wait.
Remember when Microsoft promised that the official Facebook Messenger app would be making an imminent appearance on Windows Phone? That announcement was made back in February, with Joe Belfiore announcing that the native Messenger app will introduce additional features above and beyond those found in the system based Facebook messaging integration. Belfiore, Microsoft and Facebook have stayed true to that promise, with the official Facebook Messenger app for Windows Phone now available to download from the Windows Phone Store.
When considering some of the major social networks around, those that may instantly spring to mind include Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. But for every major hunt, there are literally dozens of smaller efforts vying for some sort of recognition, and Path, which has been available on Android and iOS for quite a while now, is definitely one of them. Although it has a unique, endearing interface and a wide range of features and quirks, it has continued to struggle, but with Windows Phone seemingly on the come-up having edged a little more market share in recent times, a Path app has just made a somewhat timely appearance over at the WP Store.
Microsoft seems determined to make the most of its ecosystem and that's never been more clear than the news that the company has launched the somewhat less than exciting Office Remote app for Windows Phone. If you've ever wanted to interact with Microsoft's Office apps by using your Windows Phone instead of a mouse, then you're in luck.
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 5 has been the biggest-selling console title of this year, breaking several early sales records since its release in September. Many millions of gamers had been waiting years on its arrival, and barring a few technical glitches with GTA Online and whatnot, most have deemed the latest in the popular free-for-all classic series to have been worth the lengthy delay. To supplement the title, iFruit for iOS (and rather belatedly), Android, have given those running either of the two main mobile OSes an even richer experience, and although Windows Phone, as ever, remains bereft of any official support, a new third-party app for Microsoft's platform could serve as the perfect accompaniment to GTA 5.
The wait is coming to a close, as the teaser tweet from Nokia USA aims to tout. The US division of the Finnish company tweeted a teaser image showing off two Lumia 1020 devices; one from the back with the impressive 41-megapixel PureView camera in all its glory, while the other showing the same device running - you guessed it - Instagram for Windows Phone!
It's no secret that while Microsoft's Windows Phone platform has potential, it's going to continue struggling against iOS and Android unless it manages to cajole a decent amount of developers into building apps for its fledgling platform. In order to try and strengthen the ecosystem, the Redmond company has just introduced an all-new dev tool by the name of Windows Phone App Studio. Currently in beta, it allows anybody to create a basic app for Windows Phone -- regardless of experience in coding -- and although its ease of use means it does carry its fair share of limitations, it could be the software maker's secret weapon in finally thrusting Windows Phone from its relative obscurity.
Usually, the utility of torrent downloaders remains limited to desktop computers, and the concept of downloading torrents on smartphones and even tablets remains somewhat alien. The whole idea of grabbing torrent based content on the move also gets bogged down by the fact that there isn’t much variety of torrent clients available for major smartphone platforms, such as iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
One of the biggest challenges faced with using a Windows Phone device is the lack of customization options. The operating system is beautifully designed, there’s no denying that, but there’s pretty much nothing that you can do to spice up your Windows Phone experience. In Microsoft’s OEM partners, Nokia remains the only one that has had any luck changing some aspects of the operating system, but only within certain limits. Now, it seems that independent developers have taken it upon themselves to come up with concept apps that could actually serve as a guideline for Microsoft (or Nokia, for that matter) to understand how it’s properly done. Meet Nokia sWiPe, a new app debuted for free on the Windows Phone store that vitalizes the concept of a notification center on Windows Phone, as well as borrowing certain features from the likes of MeeGo. More past the jump.
Although the vast majority of Windows Phone 8 apps found over at the WP Store are available to any and every consumer in ownership of a Windows Phone 8 device, the same cannot be said for those thrown out by OEMs. With the exception of Nokia Maps and one or two others, those without the OEM-branded device have had to survive without the apps that particular manufacturer has thrown out for its handsets. Thankfully, there's a workaround at hand, and it arrives courtesy of none other than XDA-Developers in the form of Nokia Portal.
