l3v5y

BBC: iPlayer app dependent on "user reaction"

August 30, 2011 | By l3v5y

WMPU reader Kieran sent the BBC an email asking whether they planned to make a WP7 version of the popular BBC iPlayer application. The noncommittal reply seems to indicate that there are no current plans, but that the BBC are open to the possibility.

Thank you for contacting the BBC iPlayer Support Team.

I understand that you’d like to know if the BBC iPlayer service will be
compatible with the Windows OS for mobile handsets.

We’re currently looking at many ways to expand and increase the services we
offer however I’d be unable to confirm the present research into the
compatibility with this OS. However your comments are most welcome as we’re
driven by user reaction.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

Philip Young
BBC Audience Services

If any of our readers want to provide such “user reaction” BBC has a contact form here.

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Samsung hires HP exec, possibly interested in webOS?

August 30, 2011 | By l3v5y

The news is full of Hewlett-Packard’s recent canning of webOS, with the expectation that in the increasingly competitive and vicious mobile world its complete failure on tablets would see the end of it as a player. Microsoft are already wooing webOS developers on the expectation that the system is no longer going to be supported. However, TechCrunch speculates – via a rumour in Digitimes – that webOS may still be relevant; Samsung are rumoured to be considering buying it as well as hiring one of HP’s ex-vice presidents (apparently to work on marketing PCs, so there may be no link.)

All rumour and speculation, so take with a double pinch of salt; and of course, as with Google’s purchasing of Motorola, the purchase may be more important for the enormous patent war chest that comes with webOS than for actually using it (a mark of how litigious the smartphone world has recently become.) However, it’s an interesting development, and as TechCrunch rightly point out:

Apple has iOS. HTC has its massive supply chain. Nokia will have Windows Phone 7 Mango. And Motorola will, of course, have Android. That leaves Samsung, who is a notably strong competitor among these big five device makers, without something special to set it apart.

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Forbes: Microsoft benefits most from demise of WebOS

August 29, 2011 | By l3v5y

Forbes magazine have a piece up on HP’s recent canning of WebOS, and are spelling out what we in the community already suspect – that Microsoft and WP7 are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of WebOS’s demise.

In light of Google’s recent Motorola deal and Apple’s unwillingness to license its iOS to third parties, we believe that Microsoft will be one of the primary beneficiaries of the death of webOS. We currently have a $28 Trefis price estimate for Microsoft, which implies a 10% upside to the current market price.

…

Microsoft is making the most of webOS’s demise. The company has been wooing the abandoned webOS developers with free phones and goodies in order to attract them to the Windows Phone 7 platform. After HP announced that it would discontinue webOS, Brandon Watson, Senior Director of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 business, announced on Twitter that Microsoft will be giving free Windows Phone 7 phones and training to all published webOS developers. With webOS dead, and the future of RIM’s QNX looking bleak, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 remains one of the most promising alternatives to Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS platforms.

The Wall Street darling and self-proclaimed capitalist tool also speculates on the prospects of Windows 8 in the tablet sphere, and tells us that the Entertainment & Devices division was Microsoft’s fastest-growing last quarter. Read the whole thing at Forbes now.

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Carl Camera responds to Molly Wood’s thoughts

August 29, 2011 | By l3v5y

Molly Wood stirred quite a lot of comment with her thoughts on Mango (a response to Brandon Watson’s WP7 challenge.)

In response, software engineer Carl Camera has posted a step-by-step examination of her video, a spirited defence of WP7. I thought Camera made some good points, but seemed a bit eager to question Wood’s credentials rather than pointing out WP7′s good points.

Thanks Carl for the tip.

57

AA Breakdown & Traffic app hopefully coming

July 24, 2011 | By l3v5y

An anonymous WMPU tipster, responsible for many similar inquiries in the past, has sent an email to the AA (Automobile Association, for non-UK readers) asking if they have any plans to release the AA Breakdown and Traffic app for Windows Phone 7. The response by AA Publishing was nonspecific, but encouraging, suggesting they were considering supporting the platform.

While this does not mean the app will magically appear tomorrow, the response is already much better than “we are not planning to support that platform at all.”

We suggest where apps are missing readers continue requesting them through official channels. This demonstrates real demand much better than simply sales figures would.

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US Army completes smartphone trials

July 20, 2011 | By l3v5y

The US Army has completed its six-week field testing of three smartphone operating systems: Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7. Two of these will be selected for deployment, though it has not been announced which two.

Mazzanti expects the Army will anoint two mobile operating systems for official use. That way, they can minimize software development needs while still offering variety, which could defend against cyberattacks targeted at a specific type of software platform.
Army software engineers have developed a way for applications to be ported between the two platforms with minimal effort, officials said. Other apps are being coded as mobile-optimized Web pages, they said.

Anyone who follows defence procurement closely will know that military computing solutions in the last decade or two have tended to be massively over-budget, usually late, and often several years behind the technical curve when they finally arrive – smartphones are one of the few areas of technology in history where the field has been driven by consumers, rather than military funding.

Source: CNN, via wpcentral.

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Samsung Focus v.1.4 update now live

July 20, 2011 | By l3v5y

According to the Windows Team blog, the anticipated Samsung v.1.4 update is now shipping, as announced yesterday when the update finished testing.

As I mentioned yesterday, we have been working to expedite the scheduling of the AT&T Samsung Focus v.1.4 update. I am happy to report updates are being delivered now for this phone. Please connect your Samsung Focus v.1.4 to your PC to update your phone.

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IM+ now has a free, ad-supported version

July 19, 2011 | By l3v5y

Instant messaging client IM+ – which earlier this month halved its asking price as well as adding Windows Live Messenger – now also has a free ad-supported version. The existing paid IM+, without adverts, is now called “IM+ Pro” in the Marketplace; those who already own the “Pro” version have received an update to version 1.2, which reportedly features improved scrolling.

via windowsphonemetro.com, thanks Steve, Simon and Philipp for the tip.

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Synching multiple Google Calendars with Mango

July 8, 2011 | By l3v5y

Anthony of Wonder Reader has posted a useful getaround for synchronising results from multiple Google Calendar accounts with Mango. While the ability to use multiple calendars from Windows Live accounts is a known capability, by default it’s not possible to do this with Google…

So what’s going on here? As it turns out, Mango is perfectly capable of syncing multiple calendars from Google (as it is from any Exchange server). It’s just that, by default, Google only syncs your primary calendar with your device. On other mobile OS’s like iOS, Google allows you to select additional secondary or subscribed calendars to sync. The problem is that Google doesn’t allow Windows Phones to access this functionality. Are they doing this on purpose? Is it a conspiracy? I have no idea (but I really don’t think so).

Details of the ingenious trick (which involves convincing the Google servers that you’re using an iOS device, rather than WP7 – can be found on wonderreader here.

Thanks to Sachin for the tip.

13

Orange UK promotes WP7 with a free app every day

July 2, 2011 | By l3v5y

Orange UK – soon to be known post-T-Mobile-merger as Everything Everywhere – is launching a new promotion for WP7, in which Orange subscribers can install one premium app for free every day in July.

From the Orange press release:

Orange today announced that it is working in conjunction with Microsoft to give its Windows Phone pay monthly and pay as you go customers a free app every day in July.
For customers new to apps or simply wanting to extend their collection, the move will provide them with the perfect opportunity to try a series of premium pre-paid apps, spanning everything from games to travel information to sport.
All customers with an Orange Windows Phone can download the free apps from the exclusive ‘Orange Selects’ folder on Windows Marketplace. Here they will see a selection of the best apps, with the top app available to download for free – just for that day. This list will change every day, with the customer able to download a total of 31 individual apps worth more than £70.

via cellphone-reviews.co.uk, thanks ivy for the tip.

2

Facebook to launch Skype-based video chat

July 2, 2011 | By l3v5y

According to rumour, next week Facebook is to launch a new in-browser video chat based on Skype technology.

The product has been built on Skype and will include a desktop component. It’s not clear to me whether that means it will just work if a user has Skype already installed on the computer, or if additional software will need to be downloaded even if the user already uses Skype. But it’s clear that there’s very deep integration between the products, and from the user’s perspective, the product will be an in browser experience.

Facebook and Skype have already been working together, including integration of various Facebook features into the Skype service.

But this is something else entirely. The partnership could substantially increase Skype usage. Facebook has more than 750 million active users. Currently Skype has just 170 million. And it will certainly help Facebook become even stickier for users as they start to have voice and video chat as an option to communicate.

Microsoft has long invested in Facebook, and closer links between Facebook and the now-Microsoft-owned Skype can only be a good thing. Skype last year became much more closely integrated with Facebook chat – perhaps in the near future the two will become one and the same?

via techcrunch.com

14

No new colours or tile customisation in Mango

June 22, 2011 | By l3v5y

(Image by monsmartphone.net)

While various hacks and custom theme workarounds for developer-unlocked devices exist, a broader range of colours for WP7′s tiles is a perennial request from everyday users, and rumours have circulated that more customisation would be available in Mango. However, Joe Belfiore today stated in a tweet that no such customisation is forthcoming – not in Mango, at least.

joebelfiore
@necrovoid There’s not dramatically different color or visual tile customization in Mango.. sorry about that!

via monsmartphone.net

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Background customisation for unlocked devices

June 21, 2011 | By l3v5y

While Mango may not be bringing more colours to WP7, the customisation options for developers remain broad. Saijo George, following on from several previous posts on custom themes, has posted a new tutorial on how to use registry edits to customise the background colour.

A caveat, of course, is that this involves playing around with the registry, and shouldn’t be attempted by novices. Unfortunately, this customisation only works on developer-unlocked phones.

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