Twitter for Windows Phone has just been updated with support for Windows Phone 8, and although it appears only to be bug fixes at best, it's good to see Twitter attempting to keep on top of its official application for the new platform. Twitter - like Facebook - has struggled to deliver the goods on both Android and iOS in recent times, with performance levels looking sketchy at the best of times, but with Windows Phone 8 comes a new start, so don't be surprised to see many more meager updates at frequent intervals from the social networking site.
We've been teased by Rovio with screenshots and short video casts over the last few weeks showcasing their latest edition to the extremely popular Angry Birds franchise, but now the wait is finally over as Angry Birds Star Wars is officially available to purchase.
Quite a bit of attention has been paid to the Windows Phone platform over the last few days. First, we had Samsung using their time at the IFA trade show in Berlin to introduce us to the Windows Phone 8 powered ATIV S smartphone, which both Samsung and Microsoft will be hoping to be a commercial success. Additionally, we have also seen a joint collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft, in which we witnessed the unveiling of the Lumia 820 and 920 devices that will feature Windows Phone 8 and bring a number of notable benefits to users.
As Microsoft and Nokia move forward with their ever-evolving relationship that sees the Finnish hardware maker embedding the Redmond software giant’s creations into their smartphones, they have taken to the stage in a combined effort to not only unveil the new flagship Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, but also further expand on the Windows Phone 8 enhancements that were originally discussed back in June. It's extremely rare that we can actually see a major device like this get to the announcement stage without various details leaking early and going public and staying true to form, the Lumia 920 sure enough contains a number of features that have been speculated about over the last few days.
WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most popular cross-platform instant messaging service for smartphones. It works on all major mobile platforms – iOS, Android, Blackberry OS and Symbian - over Wi-Fi / cellular data and allows you send and receive text messages, photos, videos for free. With so many smartphones in the hands of teenagers and young adults, it’s no surprise that many of them prefer using WhatsApp over services like Blackberry Messenger and iMessage.
As primarily an iOS user (with quite a bit of time for Android, mind), I have had very little experience with Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. In fact, apart from toying around with a Lumia 800 (which, by the way, I did rather enjoy), I have to confess to being a bit of a noob when it comes to the platform, but nevertheless, I am as excited as any with the prospect of Windows Phone 8.
YouTube is the most frequented video streaming site on the web, and as such, most smartphone owners require a decent app for viewing the very latest and most entertaining content.
The always popular Encyclopedia Britannica is now available to keep in the palm of your hand, with the news that a Windows Phone version of the app is available for download and fully updated for the year 2012. Primarily living online so as to avoid filling your phone's internal storage, the app also features an offline viewing mode for those occasions when Wi-Fi or a 3G data connection just isn't as forthcoming as we would like.
The Windows Phone "sneak peek" keynote conference gave the technology world a real glimpse of what it can expect from Microsoft's future mobile endeavors, and as well as the promised Camera Extensions app, which landed yesterday, the Redmond company also noted the Nokia Play to DLNA app would surface.
Microsoft has had a pretty good week with all said and done. The Microsoft Surface, although managing to yield its fair share of critics, was relatively well-received by those in the tech world, and the grand unveiling of Windows Phone 8 suggests the Redmond-residing company is heading in the right direction.
