Tag: Microsoft

No in-app purchasing for current Windows Phones

In-app purchases, a feature announced in June, will be restricted to Microsoft handsets running Windows Phone 8 only. Those using Windows Phone 7.5 won’t see in-app purchasing getting added to Windows Phone 7.8 and it now seems that the only “update” is the slightly modified home screen. If …

Guess which company just made millions from Android?

Go on. Guess who’s just earned themselves $792 million? Who has just bagged themselves over £507 million in only one quarter thanks to Android? Microsoft. OK, you may have guessed that one. Microsoft have always made money thanks to the royalties that Android has to pay for Microsoft-held …

Lumia rumours – Are the vultures really circling?

You may have seen a number of items recently surrounding the Nokia Lumia handsets. Powered by Windows Phone, there’s already some who have stuck together some numbers and calculated that 330,000 Nokia Lumia handsets have (probably) sold in the USA during 4 months of sales. There’s an element …

Android spam issue called into question

Just a short while ago we reported on claims that some Android devices were spamming via a botnet of rogue handsets. The news came via a Microsoft blog post, which showed how spam emails had “Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android” in the text and “androidMobile” in the …

So, that Microsoft Surface presentation. Anyone spot the problem?

During the big Surface launch there was a bit of an issue. About 12 seconds into this video everything goes a bit wrong as the all-new Microsoft tablet… locks up… It’s still in beta right now, so it’s not unexpected to see a few foibles here and there, …

Microsoft Surface: Opinion & CSP Staff Sound off!

    As a CoolSmartPhone reader, there’s a very good chance you are already aware that on Monday, Microsoft announced their own Surface branded 10.6” Windows 8 family of tablets PC’s and accessories. Microsoft announced it at a surprising presentation. Not surprising that it was a tablet, more …

HTC Confirm their support for Windows Phone 8

As we’ve just heard, HTC are to launch a Windows Phone 8 device with a Qualcomm CPU. HTC have just sent us the official confirmation below. htc announces support for windows phone 8 New platform announcement builds on ten plus year partnership Taipei, Taiwan — 20 June 2012 …

Windows Phone 8 – The details

So, Joe Belfiore stepped onto the stage today to announce Windows Phone 8. It’s a second “reboot” of the Microsoft mobile strategy following the news that Windows Mobile 6.5 users wouldn’t be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 7. Now, the same is happening yet again, with existing …

Microsoft To Unveil Own Branded Tablet??

  Monday June 18, 3.30pm, A secret venue somewhere in Los Angeles. That is the time the Microsoft has set aside for a cloak and dagger operation where a big announcement is scheduled within which it is speculated that they will reveal their own branded tablet challenger to …

Linus Torvalds uses an Android phone

It’s not the mosy surprising news in the world, especially when the Android kernel is based on his creation, but the BBC interview with Linus Torvalds is well worth a read. Linus talks about the birth of Linux and why, in his opinion, Linux hasn’t cracked the desktop …

Microsoft: on{X} Beta – Automation for Android

Microsoft has released a Beta app for Android. It goes by the name of on{X} (pronounced on – ex). In basic terms, it is an automation app for you phone, that allows you to do things with your phone, depending on location, movement, weather…well, pretty much anything! The more …

Nokia Lumia 900. It’s the Batphone Robin, let’s go!

Fancy getting a Nokia Lumia 900 but want it to be a bit more “individual?” Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? Well, if you said “Yes” and knew where that quote came from, this could be just for you. It’s the Nokia Lumia …

Sky Go not coming to Windows Phone any time soon

On Friday you may have read this story about the availability of iPlayer on Windows Phone. A spokesperson also told them that Sky Go, which is already available for Android and iPhone, wouldn’t be available “for a good few months”. We’ve since heard from a a reliable source …

No iPlayer for Windows Phone after all?

Last week we told you that a Nokia spokesperson said there would be a BBC iPlayer app for Windows Phone 7 but now Pocket-Lint have the following quote from the BBC.. We are always looking at new and existing platforms to bring BBC iPlayer to, but have no …

Nokia Lumia 900 now available SIM free

Looking for the Nokia Lumia 900 unlocked ? The guys at Unlocked Mobiles have the Lumia £445.98 with Next Day delivery. It’s the latest Windows Phone from Nokia and features a 4.3″ 800×480 ClearBlack AMOLED screen and one-piece polycarbonate body. Other specs include WiFI, “all day” 1830mAh battery, …

Got a Lumia 610? We’ve got some bad news

So, as we know, Windows Phone hasn’t quite got the same Angry Birds selection as iPhone or Android. Rovio chief marketing officer stated that Windows Phone was a “big undertaking” and that the “cost of supplying” it to the “smaller platforms” just didn’t add up. There is, however, …

Windows Mobile still more popular than Windows Phone in the US

The latest Nielsen figures are out and they reveal that Windows Phone still hasn’t overtaken the previous Windows Mobile operating system. More than half of US mobile owners now have what’s classified as a “smartphone” but Windows Phone is still struggling to beat the “Other” category at the …

22 new countries added to Windows Phone web Marketplace

Microsoft today added 22 new countries these include Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Israel, Thailand, and Vietnam. As a Windows Phone user one can only hope that the continued expansion of the …

SkyDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive – FIGHT!

For a time, previous users of Microsoft’s cloud storage service can upgrade to 25GB – free! To previous users of SkyDrive can now upgrade their previous 2 gigabytes of free storage can clink on a link – yes, that’s right – and get another 23GB for free.  Good, …

European networks kick Nokia when they’re down

Reuters are reporting that European carriers faith in Nokia is quite low at the moment. They’ve gone as far as to say “If the Lumia with the same hardware came with Android in it and not Windows, it would be much easier to sell” This comes off the …

Numbers are everything… Can Microsoft reverse the trend?

Figures recently released  by comScore reveal a telling story regarding market share for the major smartphone manufacturers in the United States. Perhaps the biggest suprise is the fall of Microsoft’s share of the market from 5.2% in November ’11 to only 3.9% in Februrary ’12. Microsoft can only …

Why I think Windows Phone is the future

Before I start I must express now that this article contains mostly opinion. Right, now that’s said we can continue. 🙂 I have had a lot of phones…. Blackberrys, an iPhone, Androids and even the short lived HP Pre3 (another time) but the newest bit of tech to …

Roll up, roll up, get your Lumia 800 update on Three

Woah, it’s been just minutes since we complained that only SIM-free Lumia 800’s were currently getting updated and pow, Three are now pushing it out to their Lumia 800 phones. Their support pages detail the improvements, but the key enhancement has to be the extra battery life. There’s …

Microsoft attempt to quell the “Smoked by” fail

So, following our earlier story, Microsoft are now trying to make amends with Sahas Katta. He won a “Smoked by Windows Phone” challenge with his Android-powered Galaxy Nexus. Microsoft are trying to make amends by offering up a laptop and phone. Many on Twitter have already congratulated Microsoft, …

The Windows Phone Challenge – Most of the time, you won’t win

In Barcelona we saw Microsoft doing the “Smoked by” challenge daily. The rather minimalist stand had this white-board showing the winners and losers. The winners bagged some cash and the losers probably thought that Windows Phone was better. Is it? Well, that’s personal preference, but the whole “challenge” …

Battery going flat too quick? It could be your adverts

Adverts. Nobody really likes them, especially those foreign ones that get badly re-dubbed in English. On your mobile they can, according to a report picked up by the BBC, suck a lot more battery life too. By running constantly in the background and offering “helpful offers and reminders” …

Some answers about the Nokia Lumia 900 and 800

We saw the upcoming Nokia Lumia 900 at the MWC the other week. It is a larger version of the Lumia 800 and there are a few questions people have about the device. Well Nokia Connects have asked Nokia a whole host of questions and some of them …

Late developer payments for Android devs

Google. An amazing company. Amazing products, an amazing experience. However, their customer service has always been a massive fail. I’ve seen websites vanish from Google after getting removed from search listings and, for over 10 years now, we’ve tried unsuccessfully to get into Google News, every time with …

Microsoft, Nokia and Phones 4U in another advertising blitz

If you bought The Sun this Saturday then you might have seen one of the SEVEN massive Nokia Lumia advertisements. There’s an advert for the Android-powered Galaxy in there too, but its mostly Windows Phone all the way. Link – Phones 4U

Tango to be called Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh

So, someone somewhere apparently decided to brand Windows Phone “Tango” as “Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh”. The details have come out during an interview with that WindowsPhoneItaly conducted with Stefania Duico from Microsoft Italy. Now, turn the clock back to 2010 when “Windows Phone 7 Series” was launched. Shortly …

Marketplace for Windows Mobile 6.x – Two months and counting

Back in June last year we heard that Windows Marketplace was headed for the bin and now it looks like that’s happening. Emails are going out to say that the shut-down begins on May 9th, which is just two months away. A huge number of you have sent …

MWC – Windows Phone Booth Tour

Microsoft don’t really have a booth if I’m honest. They don’t even have a stand. Sure, they’re displaying the latest phones running Windows Phone, plus some older ones too. I took a look at the Fujitsu IS12T yesterday, which is one of the 8 on show. This year …

MWC – Fujitsu IS12T Hands-on

So, you’ve got the major players here in Barcelona. HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, Nokia and the new boys – Sony Mobile. Then there’s the people close behind, Acer, Asus, Huawei and ZTE are becoming more well known. Huawei in particular have been behind a lot of network-branded kit …

MWC – ZTE Orbit Up close

ZTE are no strangers to Windows Phone. They already have the well-priced ZTE Tania and seem to be pushing further with the Windows Phone OS thanks to this, the ZTE Orbit. As I said in my other ZTE post, there’s a definite improvement in build quality and design …

MWC – Skype For Windows Phone Beta Available

During the Nokia event this morning they announced that Skype is in beta as a free download for their devices so you can finally keep in touch worldwide at super low prices. It had been rumored that Skype was coming on Windows Phone for a little while now, …

MWC – Nokia Announce Lumia 610

Nokia have just announced the Lumia 610 which is a new low-end Windows Phone from Nokia. Available in white, cyan, magenta or black the new Lumia 610 has an 800MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 CPU, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 and runs Windows Phone 7.5 Inside there’s 256MB of RAM …

MWC – A few more Nokia Lumia 610 details leaked?

BGR.in appear to have a bit more information on the Nokia 610, which we’re expecting to get final details on tomorrow morning. Their moles reckon that it’ll have a 3.2″ display and a 3 megapixel camera. Apparently this will go on sale for around €175. We’ll be live …

Gartner Smartphone Sales figures prove tough reading

The latest Gartner figures are out and, for Microsoft, they’re probably best ignored. Less than 3 million Windows Phones sold worldwide for a Q4 1.9% market share, down from last year’s Q4 of 3.4%. Windows Phone,market share is still lower than the Bada OS. Although this was to …

Pure View gets a quick show ahead of MWC

Nokia are teasing us with their new camera technology here, and we fully expect to see more over the coming days. Smartphone cameras always been fairly “OK” until recently and out looks like Nokia are about to set the bar a little higher. The video includes lots of …