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Why did Nokia review its own Lumia 620 on its own site?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Corporate News, Handhelds
Can someone explain to me why Nokia is now reviewing its own Windows Phone smartphones on its own corporate blog? This just screams conflict of interest. In fact, it doesn't appear that the reviewer had anything bad to say about the Nokia Lumia 620 - but hey, it matched the green jumper he happened to be wearing that day, so, that's something…right?
The company just changed the headline, removing the word "review" and replacing it with "hands-on" while adding this note to the post:
This article was first headlined as a ‘review’, obviously, it’s more of a hands-on account of Adam’s experiences and the headline has been changed to reflect that.
They don't seem to realize that, whether you call it a hands-on or a review, it is 100% biased. Seriously, the "reviewer" found nothing wrong and nothing about the device that could be improved. Horrible.
Read More 
| Nokia
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Sprint readies FM Radio and Entertain Me packages for Android and Windows Phones
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Cell Phones, Corporate News, Music
Sprint is bringing FM radio to select Android and Windows Phone devices this year with the NextRadio tuner app. This move makes Sprint the first US carrier to herald FM radio in such fashion, and shows the amount of faith the carrier puts in a format some might say is already dead.
Sprint also revealed an application bundle for the Sprint Zone on Android dubbed "Entertain Me." The bundle will feature Sprint TV and Movies, Sprint Music Plus, Spotify, Slacker, iHeartRadio, Shazam, and Rumpus.
Google plans fix for Google Maps in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Cell Phones, Google, Internet, Microsoft, Software
Maps for Windows Phone users is about to get a little better. According to Google, it is planning on fixing the issue preventing Windows Phone users from reaching the Google Maps website through Internet Explorer. The search giant had this to say:
"We periodically test Google Maps compatibility with mobile browsers to make sure we deliver the best experience for those users. In our last test, IE mobile still did not offer a good maps experience with no ability to pan or zoom and perform basic map functionality. As a result, we chose to continue to redirect IE mobile users to Google.com where they could at least make local searches. The Firefox mobile browser did offer a somewhat better user experience and that’s why there is no redirect for those users. Recent improvements to IE mobile and Google Maps now deliver a better experience and we are currently working to remove the redirect. We will continue to test Google Maps compatibility with other mobile browsers to ensure the best possible experience for users."
Google had previously stated that the outage was because its mobile Maps site wasn't designed with IE in mind.
Ubuntu coming to smartphones in 2014
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Cell Phones, Software
Canonical, makers of the open source Linux Ubuntu desktop OS, is in the process of turning Ubuntu into a mobile operating system and has sets its sights on a 2014 launch. The OS boasts an intuitive take on the lock screen, and uses gestures for navigating through the device. However, will this be enough to take on the juggernauts that iOS and Android have become? As of now, even with the power of Microsoft behind it, Windows Phone is still catering to a niche market, and RIM is still staggering to regain its footing as it revamps the BlackBerry operating system (formally QNX, now dubbed BlackBerry 10.) Will the Open Community come through and help propel Ubuntu's mobile OS?
Click to continue reading Ubuntu coming to smartphones in 2014
Read More | Ubuntu
BlackBerry 10 put to test against Windows Phone 8 and iOS in speed test videos
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Videos
GadgetMasters has uploaded two videos to YouTube that compare HTML5 benchmark tests of a BlackBerry 10 development device with an HTC 8X Windows Phone 8 device, and of course, the iPhone 5. See who comes out on top. RIM will launch BlackBerry 10 on January 30th in New York.
Read More | BGR
Bitcasa Brings infinite cloud storage to Android, Windows 8, and Windows Phone
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Cell Phones, PC / Laptop, Software, Storage
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Bitcasa brings its unlimited cloud storage from the desktop to the mobile-verse today, with Android and Windows Phone 8 users getting first dibs. An iOS and Mac version are promised in early January, however, so you won't feel left out in the cold for too long.
The apps for Android and Windows 8 stream media through its native player with two-way file access so you can access your files from your Surface. Android users can also link their camera app to Bitcasa, so each photo they take is automatically saved to the cloud.
Read More | Google Play Store
Facebook 4.1 for Windows Phone 8 brings speed improvements
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Cell Phones, Microsoft, Software
A new update for Windows Phone 8's Facebook app doesn't bring new features, but does make the app a lot faster and more responsive. Similar to the recent Facebook app updates on Android and iOS, this one focuses on the general performance of the app, and eliminates the lag from the older version.
Windows Phone 7 devices, however, aren't capable of running the new update. UK users will assuredly find the Facebook version 4.1 update in the UK Windows Phone Marketplace, but its not quite available in all markets yet.
Read More | Windows Phone
Microsoft readying OTA update remedy for Windows Phone 8 reboot epidemic
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Cell Phones, Microsoft, Software
Microsoft has gotten to the bottom of the random Windows Phone 8 reboots, and is issuing an OTA update by December. The company, however, won't reveal the problem.
Here's what Microsoft had to say: “We’re continuing to investigate some reports of phones rebooting and have identified a cause with our partners. We are working to get an over-the-air update out in December.”
If you're currently one of the people with affected phones, let us know in the comments what model you have, as Microsoft hasn't detailed the types of phones affected or whether it's all Windows 8 devices.
Read More | AllThingsD
Nokia Lumia 920 $99.99, Lumia 820 $49.99, both launch Friday
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Microsoft
After a ridiculously long wait, it's finally been announced that AT&T will be selling launching the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 Windows Phones this Friday, November 9th, with pre-orders starting tomorrow. Pricing has also been revealed, and things are looking good there as well, with the flagship 920 costing $99.99 with two-year contract, and including a wireless charging dock. If you'd prefer the 820, that one will sell for $49.99 on contract. Now that the pricing is public, anyone planning on picking up one of the new Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices?
Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8 SDK now available
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Corporate News, Software
Throughout all the hoopla of the past week with the launch of Windows 8, Surface, and Windows Phone 8, developers have been left wondering how they'd go about coding up their apps for Microsoft's new smartphone platform. Well, at this morning's Build 2012 conference (see our live Build 2012 keynote coverage,) that question was answered with the announcement that the Windows Phone 8 SDK is now available. Hit the source link below to grab it. We're getting a look at it right now, and it's impressive. You can easily share code between phone, tablet, and PC, making multi-platform apps with relative ease.
Read More | Windows Phone 8 SDK
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