Apple I- Phone

Aviary photo editing tools which powers the likes of imgur , Halftone and Rockmelt is going to be available to Windows Phone developers soon. Aviary lets app and web developers add photo editing functionality for free to their apps.

Premium visual effects are also available to users however it does not enable the instagram like sharing features. The Windows Phone SDK for Aviary will be available in about a month according to VP Paul Murphy who is bullish on Windows Phone after the announcement of the Lumia 900.

[Via - The Verge]

Dhruv Bhutani is a tech enthusiast who tries to keep a tab on the latest and greatest in the mobile and telecom sector. He is currently using a Nokia N9 , N8 , Lumia 800. Catch him on Twitter @DhruvBhutani , you can also reach out on Facebook and G+

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So here we are, day three of my look into what the biggest players in the smartphone world will, or possibly should do in 2012.

We’ve already covered Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone, with both set for exciting and challenging times ahead of them, but what about the noisy neighbor. What about Microsoft?

Microsoft Windows Phone

2011 was a big year for Microsoft. With the launch of Windows Phone 7 and the subsequent deal with Nokia allowing the Finnish firm to become a major WP7 partner, Microsoft saw its new mobile OS take a leap forward both in availability and usability. Windows Phone 7.5, Mango, brought with it a selection of features which many believed should have been present from day one, and coupled with the new hardware from Nokia the early days of 2012 have already started well.

The issue facing Microsoft is a very similar one to that of Google, and that is attracting developers to a platform which is currently lacking in grad-A titles. Take Xbox LIVE as a prime example.

The big advantage that Microsoft has over its rivals is the deep integration with the Xbox gaming platform that Xbox LIVE should bring. Being able to tie mobile gaming into the home gaming space could potentially open up a whole market for Windows Phone, with gamers flocking to the platform in order to get the most out of the games they play on their Xbox 360s. Throw in some top-class multiplayer gaming through Xbox LIVE on a smartphone, and things could get really interesting.

Apple itself has recognized the importance of building a community around gaming on the go, with Game Center aiming to do what Xbox LIVE did for the Xbox. As is so often the case with Apple however, things seem to have gone very quiet on that front, with Game Center becoming stagnant and never really hitting the heights we had all hoped. In Xbox LIVE, Microsoft has the opportunity to take things one step further, and actually make gaming on a smartphone a real experience that hardcore gamers want to get into.

I would expect 2012 to be the year that Microsoft really takes the bull by the horns with Windows Phone, with WP8 possibly on the agenda during the first half of the year. With the existing hardware specifications beginning to get a little long in the tooth – Microsoft tells hardware partners what specifications WP7 handsets need to meet – I fully expect a new reference design to be announced alongside Windows Phone 8, giving the whole platform a nudge forward in the specification arms race that Android is currently winning.

Many would argue that Windows Phone does not need the super-fast, dual-core chips that Android phones are sporting, but if games are to be the platform’s biggest weapon; then developers are going to need more power to work with. Hence, new hardware.

I’ve got high hopes for Windows Phone this year, but if Microsoft does not hit all the right notes during the next twelve months, I would argue that we can all but write the company off for this generation.

Just as we did with the previous one.

For discussion on this topic: Check out the threads on Facebook or Google+.

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.

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Nokia India just sent us an invite for a launch event on Nov 14th. The invite talks about Amazing New Experiences. We are betting this is the India launch of the Windows Phone devices.  Nokia announced the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 devices at Nokia World 2011 last month where the company promised to bring these devices to India before the end of the year. The Lumia 710 would be coming first followed by the Lumia 800 from what we have learnt. Interestingly both these devices use a microSIM card  like the iPhone 4 , 4s and Nokia N9. Would be interesting to see how operators address this issue. Pricing wise the Lumia 710 is expected to be cheaper than the 800 and the stated pricing is 270 euros and the device can come at around Rs.20,000

Watch a quick demo of the Lumia 710 below

Do check out the review of the Lumia 800 from our UK team. We should have more news on Nov 14th.

For those asking about the invite , here is it folks !

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Microsoft has launched new I unlock Joy a unique Application Program in India that would let technology professionals, women developers and students to win Windows Phones. This contest is a great chance for the women and students to bring out the creativity and it also offers the developers to establish a substantial position in their business.

In the Developer’s offer there are 3 categories

In the submit and receive category, a registered participant need to submit 3 qualified Windows Phone Application in the Marketplace that are distinct and of non-trivial utility value for the Application User and they would get a chance to receive a Windows Phone.In the port 2 apps and receive category, a registered participant submitting 2 qualified Windows Phone Applications in the Marketplace which are ported from existing Android or iPhone Applications get to receive a Windows Phone.In the Women Special Category, the first 100 registered Woman Developers who submit 1 qualified Windows Phone Application each in the Marketplace qualify to receive a Windows Phone each. The applications can be based on Entertainment, Fashion, Leisure, Sports, Recreation or Travel themes.In the Student offer the student developers will receive a Merit Certificate, a Windows Phone T-Shirt and a 2GB USB Flash Drive for 1 app published on Marketplace and a Windows Phone for 4 published apps.

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Spotify, online Music streaming app is now available for the Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) devices. The Windows Phone 7 is their 7th mobile app, and it is already available for iPhone, Android and Symbian. It also has an Offline mode option that lets you listen without an internet connection.

Features of Spotify for Windows Phone 7.5

Search, browse & play millions of tracks.Explore & play your friends’ playlists, top artists and tracks.Stream over WiFi or 2.5/3G – all your existing playlists are available.Offline playlists lets you play your music without an internet connection.On-the-fly sync will sync every track you add to a playlist between your mobile and computer.What’s New view.Receive music from friends via the inbox.Starred tracks lets you tag all your favorites into a special list.Download the Spotify app for Windows Phone 7.5 from the Windows Phone Marketplace for free. You need a Premium subscription ($9.99 a month) to stream music from the Spotify mobile app.

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HTC Arrive which was launched in March this year, with a sliding qwerty keyboard and a 1GHz processor running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, has received a Windows Phone 7.5 update which can be seen on Sprint’s site which was just updated.

Sprint’s updated page does not mention Mango but the additional features mentioned clearly shows that it is Mango. If you got HTC Arrive then your phone should show an update, if it does not then you can check for an update by going to settings and tapping on Phone and then update. If you still don’t get the update then you can wait and try again. Once you get the update you can connect your phone to the PC, switch on Zune, go to settings, phone and then update. If you own the HTC Arrive and have updated your device to Windows Phone 7.5 then tell us what you think about it in our comments section.

You can checkout the support page over here

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Over at the Microsoft Canada page under the Windows Phone Mango app challenge , MS seems to have accidentally posted the name and some details of Nokia’s upcoming Windows Phone devices.

“The type of Windows Phone 7.5 will vary and will be selected at Microsoft’s choosing (examples include Samsung Yukon, Samsung Wembley, NOKIA Searay and NOKIA Sabre). Wireless carrier and wireless service not included. Activation terms and conditions are at the sole discretion of the phone manufacturer and wireless carrier.”

WP Central  reports that the phone will come with a micro SIM slot and a 3.7? display. This could be a slightly lower end WP Mango device by Nokia. More information is expected regarding the same at Nokia World , the Espoo based company’s annual event. FoneArena will be reporting live from the event.

[Via - WP Central]

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SkyDrive, which is part of Microsoft’s Windows Live suite, is a service that allows users to store files online and share them with themselves or others. This can only be done officially through a web interface, yet there’s speculation that Microsoft might soon release a SkyDrive client for desktop and mobile platforms.

According to a report, Microsoft is working on bringing a SkyDrive client to a multitude of platforms, such as Windows, Android, iOS and even Mac OS X. While no sources within Microsoft were cited, a recent job posting by the company reveals its interest in developing “SkyDrive client applications”:

We are looking for developers that are looking for their next challenge to build the highly distributed platform and multi-platform clients for the SkyDrive suite of products delivered through Windows Live and Windows.

Indeed, this job requires skills in a diverse range of programming languages, ranging from Objective-C to Java. Since Microsoft is likely just beginning the development of whatever might become of SkyDrive, it’s quite unclear as of yet what the SkyDrive client will include, yet we can speculate that Microsoft could be looking into directly competing with Dropbox, which is very popular cloud based storage service, by integrating SkyDrive right into Windows Explorer and Finder on the Mac, rather than just create a standalone client application. On mobile devices, Microsoft has the chance to innovate by integrating its file storage service deeply into Windows Phone 7 instead of just creating a standalone app.

Currently, there are workarounds (which we have featured in the past) that allow SkyDrive to be somewhat integrated into Windows Explorer, although these methods don’t integrate with SkyDrive’s features, such as control over permissions, making it almost essential to log into SkyDrive’s website to manually adjust them. In order for Microsoft’s official solution to work, all the features that can be found on the web version of SkyDrive must be replicable on the client.

The timing makes sense: the web version of SkyDrive was overhauled a mere two months ago, built from the ground up using HTML5 technologies. With a strong web version that will certainly last for many months, if not years, it now makes sense for Microsoft to work harder on expanding the service: clients for as many platforms as possible might be the best way to go about it.

(via LiveSide)

You can follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook fanpage to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google and Apple.

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Nokia is ready to invest heavily in the promotion of their upcoming Windows 7 phones. They are reportedly spending a sum of 127 Million US Dollars (80 Million GBP).

A Nokia spokesperson however stated that it’s not their policy to comment on campaigns for unannounced products. The campaign is set to start in October and will be aimed at re-branding Nokia as a Windows 7 phone company instead of Symbian or MeeGo.

October is also the month when Nokia World 2011 is scheduled to take place and it is expected that Nokia will showcase it’s first Windows Phone there including the Nokia Sea Ray.

source

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In last few months, HTC launched several Android devices like the HTC Flyer, EVO 3D and HTC Sensation. All of them are amazing devices and now HTC is looking forward to introduce some new devices, but this time they might be launching WP7 devices. We recently saw the unannounced HTC Mazaa and it seems it’s not the only device HTC is working on. HTC-Inside got their hands on first leaked images of HTC Eternity which is said to be one of the first WP7 devices running on Mango. HTC Eternity looks like a promising device and it will be running on a 1.5 GHz single-core processor, 4.7 Inch AMOLED display, 8 MP camera with LED flash and 1.3 MP front-facing camera, 16 GB of internal storage, 512 MB of ram and 1,650 mAh battery.

Specs are nice but as dual-core is becoming a trend, maybe people who are looking forward to dual-core WP7 devices might be disappointed but let’s wait for some official words from HTC. Hopefully, HTC will be launching this device later this fall as other WP7 Mango devices are also coming in this period.

So anyone looking forward to this huge-WP7 device?

Read

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We told you yesterday that Microsoft will officially reveal the next version of WP7 which is known as Windows Phone 7.1 Mango, we also told you about a rumor that there will be new phones, but actually the rumor was just false. The event was all about software and there was no sign of any device, but still we got a lot of information out of it. With Mango, Microsoft is focusing on communication, apps and Internet.

Microsoft also announced that Nokia first WP7 device will come with Windows Phone 7.1 Mango, and they also said that they are already working on a Nokia WP7 device and it’s currently in lab. They didn’t tell us when it’s coming out, but as we heard that Microsoft will launch Mango equipped devices later this year, you can expect Nokia first ever WP7 device around holiday time or early next year. Well, as we know that Nokia and Microsoft are in a partnership, and Nokia is the biggest hardware maker. My personal guess is that Nokia will produce the first ever WP7 device running on Mango, I am just saying so don’t believe in my words.

Microsoft also announced 3 new Windows Phone 7 hardware partners and they are Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE. All of them are leading companies, and Nokia also joined the OEM list a few months ago. So now there are a total of 7 OEMs and the names are HTC, Samsung, LG, Nokia, Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE. Someone is missing from the list right? Yes, you are right, Dell is missing from the list. When asked Microsoft about Dell, they asked people to “stay tuned”. It looks like Dell isn’t satisfied with their WP7 sales and that’s why they are abandoning it? Well, Michael Dell told Wall Street Journal that they want to focus on its enterprise market instead of consumer market.

Before the event goes live, Microsoft Romania fully revealed all the features of Windows Phone 7.1. So check out all the features below and don’t forget to check out the videos after the break to have a look on some of the main features of Mango.

A. Communications, with information organized around a person or a group:
- the ability to toggle between Facebook Chat, Windows Live Messenger Chat and Messages, all in one conversation
- Contact groups can be turned into personalized Live Tiles for a quick glance of recent status updates as well as a fast way of interacting right from the Start screen
- Twitter integration as well as LinkedIn integration with Contacts
- Facebook check-ins with better face detection and easy tagging
- Linked inbox for combining several accounts with grouped messages and conversation view
- Hands-free messaging with speech-to-text and text-to-speech

B. Applications
- Multitasking with some applications having the ability to run in the background. The user can easily toggle between them
- Improved Dynamic Live Tiles allow for easy information retrieval and update without the need for the corresponding app to be open
- Applications will be featured on Search results and Hubs and will be displayed when necessary

C. Internet
- Internet Explorer 9 brings PC browser power to your smartphone with HTML 5 and hardware acceleration
- Local Scout gives you local recommendations for restaurants, shops, activities in your vicinity while displaying them in an easy to read manner
- Improved Bing featuring Bing Vision, Music Search and Voice for easily recognizing images, tags, songs and your speech
- Quick Cards will bring you a relevant summary and applications while searching for a product, movie, event or place.

D. The Ecosystem
The platform and ecosystem will be further improved by welcoming three new hardware partners: Acer, Fujitsu Ltd and ZTE. These OEMs committed to delivering Windows Phones on a global scale by the end of this year.

E. Windows Phone Beta Tools
The new Mango Tools for developers will go live on Microsoft’s page in the upcoming 24 hours for developers to download and use to create a new generation of Mango apps and games that will take advantage of the new features introduced.

There’s still a lot more to Windows Phone 7 Mango and its more than 500 features it will bring but these are the most noteworthy among all. Let’s wait and see these in action as well as hear the others from Microsoft itself at today’s Mango Launch Event.

Best thing among all? It’s coming to a Windows Phone near you at the beginning of this autumn! Hopefully carriers will do a great job at testing and Microsoft at pushing it out in time. Might not have to wait for the Holiday season to grab it after all!

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Forbes magazine has reported that Carlo Bozotti (CEO of STMicroelectronics) said that Nokia will be using the dual core ST-Ericsson U8500 chips to power some of their Windows Phones.

This will be a major shift from usual Windows Phones that use Qualcomm chips. The reason that all Windows phones use Qualcomm chips is due to the strict guidelines set for companies by Microsoft.

But Microsoft said that Nokia has been given freedom to modify Windows and also bend a few guidelines according to their needs.However we might not see these chips in the current Windows 7 phones but on the next generation Windows 8 phones.

Nokia is planning to launch 12 Windows powered phones in 2012 which will be based on future versions of the U8500.

via | source

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It seems that Microsoft is set to announce the first update to its new Windows Phone 7 OS during CES (Consumer Electronics Show). The update will most likely hit carrier branded handsets by February.

The update should bring in the copy and paste function which we had earlier told you about. Apart from the copy and aste function, support for Qualcomm 7×30 chipset, a CDMA location stack and a number of other fixes are said to be included.

The second update with codename “Mango” will roll out later during the year and will be more of an upgrade rather than an update. This update will bring major changes including Internet Explorer 9, Trident 5 rendering engine, HTML 5, Silverlight and gesture support.

via SlashGear

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HTC launched Windows-based smartphone-- 7 Mozart-- for Rs 26,490 in India. The phone is equipped with a vibrant 3.7-inch display and pinch-to-zoom feature.
It incorporates an 8 megapixel camera with auto focus, Xenon flash and 720p HD recording.
The camera also has built-in scenes that include candlelight, landscape, and portrait to match the environment of the subject.
The HTC 7 Mozart comes with an exclusive offer for Tata DoCoMo users in India, wherein the subscribers will get special data offer on the handset.
The HTC 7 Mozart is powered by Microsoft Windows Phone 7 platform.This device, powered by our world class 3G network will deliver a truly enriching experience for the consumer.
Technology Updates On Mail

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Most of us were eagerly waiting to know the sales figure of the handsets powered by Microsoft’s latest Operating System, the Windows Phone 7. Microsoft has finally announced the official sales figure of Windows Phone 7. Earlier we reported that, Microsoft managed to sell only 40,000 units of Windows Phone 7 handsets on its launch, but the latest sales figure will surely surprise you.

UPDATE:

In a recent interview with the Microsoft News Center, Achim Berg, Microsoft’s VP of business and marketing for Windows Phones officially announced that, Microsoft has sold over 1.5 million units of Windows 7 Phone devices to carriers and retailers in the first six weeks.This is not the actual number of Windows Phone 7 devices sold to end users but just that number of handsets that have hit the distribution point.

“Our numbers are similar to the performance of other first generation mobile platforms. Yes, and I think our expectations are realistic for a new platform. We started fresh with Windows Phone 7, and it’s a different kind of phone. Measuring for success is more long term than short term. We have 18,000 developers who are developing for our marketplace.”

“We all know that the competition is extreme in this industry, and we have to compete on multiple fronts. We have to deliver a great product that people want to use. We have a different point of view than just delivering apps, and we have received great customer feedback on our approach”, said Achim Berg, corporate vice president, Mobile Communications Business and Marketing Group.

He also said that, Microsoft is working on updates that will take Windows Phone 7 to the next level. To read the full interview, head over to this page.

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