rumour

Nokia Phi with Windows Phone 8 shows up on WP Bench

May 24, 2012 | By Surur

As we near the announcement of Windows Phone 8 (expected in June 20th) we expect more and more information to leak out.

A candidate for being the latest morsel is this screen shot from the WP Bench Windows Phone benchmarking app, which shows the latest device to be added being the Nokia Phi, running Windows Phone OS 8.0.9698.0. The number is in fact slight ahead of the list of build numbers we posted here suggesting it may be the latest version of the OS, finally on a real device that will eventually hit the market (vs the earlier Nokia Fluid leaks for example).

Now of course it is possible to spoof WP Bench device names, but we do not believe this extends to OS versions, suggesting at least this entry is real.

What do our readers think of the Nokia Phi name? Let us know below.

WP Bench is $0.99 with a free version and can be found in Marketplace here.

Thanks Matthew for the tip.

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New Contact and Live Tile animations suggest Windows Phone 8

May 22, 2012 | By Surur

The strangest things things turn up in the strangest places. WPCentral noticed this interesting new live time behaviour in a PCadvisor.co.uk ad for the Nokia Lumia 900.

The ad shows :

Contacts – The tiles flip and it says "Meet up with Sarah"
Photo Hub – Flips and splits into two tiles, one with the latest photo, the other with a count

Both are of course new behaviour, which could have been dreamt up by an ad man, or could be designed for an ad which wont have to be recoded after the Windows Phone 8 announcement on June 20th.

What do our readers think? Real or fake? Let us know below.

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Windows Phone Future leak or Fan Wish list?

May 21, 2012 | By Surur

Insideris received the following pictures, which their tipster claimed was “The first look at Windows Phone 8”.

Insideris themselves was not clear if this was an interim update between Windows Phone 7.5 and 8 (as has been rumoured my come to current generation devices), Windows Phone 8, or simply a fake.

The two pictures above shows separate volumes for music and ring tones, and notifications in the volume bar.

It also shows potentially animated 3rd party tiles.

The second pair shows an already familiar feature, groups in the people hub.

The picture above shows how folders expand into individual tiles, which can presumably be scrolled horizontally.

The middle picture shows the multi-tasking screen with a close button, shortcuts or toggles to WIFI, 3G etc, and also short cuts to “quick Apps”. The last slide suggests that besides alphabetical jump lists there is also the potential for jump lists by category.

The last two shows the potential for a transparent lock screen, allowing an application to show through, while the last picture show how app folders are created. It also shows the ability to add categories to tiles or change the image associated with them (presumably for folders)

Many of these are of course features which users have been demanding, leaving open the possibility that this is simply a fan wish list.

Either way, we will leave it up to our readers to decide, and of course if Microsoft sends a take-down notice we will be sure.

Via Insideris.com

Thanks Angry for the tip.

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Best Windows Phone gamer in the world says Final Fantasy and Super Monkeyball II coming to Xbox Live

May 21, 2012 | By Surur

According to Zebrasqual, who has been crowned the best windows phone gamer in the world based on his large number of Achievements, we can expect two major games to show up on Windows Phone soon.

The first is Final Fantasy , which is likely a mobile version of the 1987 game which was published on the iPhone in March 2011. See some iPhone screen shots below.

Click for larger versions.

The next major game is Sega’s Super Monkeyball II: Sakura Edition, which would be a follow-up to the original Super Monkeyball which did make it to Xbox Live some time ago and which has only just been released for the iPhone and Android.

See some Android screen shots below:

Click for larger versions.

Unfortunately no ETA accompanied the leak, but I suspect E3 2012, which starts on the 5th June, would be a good date to unveil these titles.

Via BestWP7Games.com

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Windows Phone 8 build numbers revealed

May 16, 2012 | By Surur

WP7Forum.ru have posted a list of Windows Phone 8 build numbers harvested from a Windows Phone 7.5 app running on devices running the updated OS.

The build numbers start at 8.0.9666 and has advanced to 8.0.9688. WP7Forum.ru observes that the OS seems to have escaped from emulators and are being tested on real devices, and that there seems to be an indication that the OS is nearing its final release date.

WP7Forum.ru, quoting a reliable source, have previously claimed the OS would RTM by July 2012, so it seems to be right on track for this date.

Via WP7Forum.ru

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Photosynth for Windows Phone one step closer, hits version 1.0

May 15, 2012 | By Surur

The lack of a Microsoft Photosynth app for Windows Phone has been a particular sore point for some time now, given that the app has been on the iPhone for more than a year now.

We saw some test pictures in February and now there is some evidence of progress, with a Microsoft account tweeting the above image, which claims to be from Photosynth 1.0.0, with even details in the screen shot suggesting that version 1.0.0 is nearly ready for prime time.

If the app is not released soon, it may form part of an announcement at Microsoft’s June 20th Summit, where details of Windows Phone 8 is expected also.

via WPCentral.com

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Microsoft job post confirm Windows 8 basis for Windows Phone

May 10, 2012 | By Surur

Believe it or not, there are still some who are doubtful that Windows Phone 8 will be built on the NT Kernel of Windows 8.

For those I am not sure this Microsoft job post for a Senior Program Manager in Windows Phone will be convincing, but then some people are never satisfied.

The job posting asks for a program manager in the “Cellular Core Team” who “build the next generation Windows Phone platform” to help turn “Windows 8 into the best smart phone platform”.

To do this job the applicant would ideally need to have “Product development experience with an emphasis scoping, creating specifications and shipping software modules in NT” which rather puts the cherry on the cake.

Of course the only question which remains is whether it is a bit late to be looking for a program manager for such a key function for an OS which is meant to ship in 1-2 months to OEMs, but who knows, maybe some-one left in a hurry.

See the full job post after the break.

Separately Microsoft is also hard at work making sure current Windows Phone 7 apps will work on the “next version of Windows Phone” in preparation for the “next major release”.

Are the sceptics convinced yet? Let us know below.

Continue reading →

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ZTE Tania heading to China at a very affordable price

May 10, 2012 | By Surur

WPDang reports that the ZTE Tania, currently on release in Europe and also apparently heading to USA, will also soon make its way back to China.

The handset, rebranded “ZTE V960W”, is expected to cost around 1,250 CNY (198 USD), competing directly with the Nokia Lumia 610, which costs 1,600 CNY.

ZTE also has another Windows Phone in China, the ZTE Orbit, which features NFC. WPDang speculates that this handset may get a RAM cut to the low-end Tango spec of 256 MB to cut costs and make it more price competitive.

China has recently overtaken USA as the largest smartphone market, but remains extremely price sensitive, meaning if Windows Phone is to win any significant market share there it remains very important to compete on the low end.

Via WPSauce.com

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Rumour: Microsoft pitching a Facebook phone to Facebook

May 8, 2012 | By Surur

Business Insider is claiming Microsoft is trying to pitch Facebook a Windows Phone as the long-rumoured “Facebook phone”.

According to BusinessInsider’s source Microsoft is trying to convince Facebook not to go down the custom Android build like Amazon, but to adopt a version of Windows Phone instead. The phone would carry Facebook branding, something like “The Facebook Phone, powered by Windows” and would have even deeper Facebook integration than Windows Phone has already.

According to BI a Microsoft Facebook phone would have significant advantages for Facebook:

We’re not Google – Facebook and Google are direct competitors at present so making a phone that’s reliant in even a small way on Google would not sit well with Facebook.
We know what to do and how to do it. Making a phone is not easy. You have to develop the OS, get manufacturers to build handsets for it, get carriers to carry it, market it, sell it, and ship it. Facebook has no idea how to do any of this. Microsoft does, and it will offer to help Facebook with all of it.
We know everyone. Microsoft has relationships across the industry. Samsung, HTC, and Nokia are already making Windows Phones. LG was. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon are already carrying the phones. Microsoft spends hundreds of millions of dollars with ad agencies every year. It’s working with a logistics firm, Brightpoint, to get the product shipped to stores efficiently.

The advantages to Microsoft, according to BI’s source, would be:

Some of the appeal is being able to drive mobile traffic to Microsoft’s online properties, particularly Bing.
Microsoft’s grandest desire is deep penetration in mobile that will allow it to someday offer consumers a NFC-powered payments product.
Microsoft wants to do something like PayPal, but in the physical world. It wants to get there before Google figures out how to fix Google Wallet.
Microsoft is not particularly interested in the concept of location-based advertising.

According to the source the phone is not imminent, but Microsoft is hanging around until Facebook gets serious about its phone move.

Facebook PR declined to comment to BI on the rumour.

Nokia to launch a range of tablets and “hybrid” smart mobile devices

May 3, 2012 | By Surur

Could a Windows Phone 8 "Padphone" be on the way?

Speaking to Financial Times, Nokia’s outgoing chairman Jorma Ollila said the phone giant was looking to will launch a range of tablets and “hybrid” smart mobile devices with exciting “form factors” for devices and exclusive services.

“Tablets are an important one, so that is being looked into, and there will be different hybrids, different form factors [handset designs] in the future.”

Ollila did not explain what a so-called hybrid device would be, but possibilities which come to mind include large-screened “fablets” like the Galaxy Note or other combinations of phones and tablets like the Padphone, where the phone slides into a tablet.

Commenting on the progress of their switch to Windows Phone so far he said:

“[I am] happy with what is happening. When you have such strong competitors in the marketplace it will take a bit of time but things are going well,” he said.

Explaining the need for the switch he said:

“Four years from mid-2008 to today the returns have not been where they should have been. The company saw it and it was broadly accepted but the software capability and particularly the platform software knowhow was not there.

“The competitors were faster, and bringing their solutions to the marketplace faster.”

However he said that the combination of new products and Nokia services would “make a difference”. Mr Ollila said the company was now “on time” with product delivery.

What do our readers think of these new promised radical form factors. Would it be a distraction from the actual phone market with low returns, or is it just what Nokia needs to differentiate itself? Let us know below.

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Something big going down at June Windows Phone Developer Summit and we are invited

May 2, 2012 | By Surur

Microsoft is sending out invitations to a Windows Phone Developer Summit at the end of June 2012, and the buzz going round is that it must be Windows Phone 8 related.

If it is it would be the first official revelation of the OS which has been shrouded in mystery, with information only revealed in leaks, unlike Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 which were both well described well before its official release on devices.

The WMPU team has also been invited to the event, and we look forward to having one of the first hands-ons with whatever mystery Microsoft unveils that day.

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No Vertu Windows Phones? Nokia looking to sell their Vertu subsidiary

April 30, 2012 | By Surur

Much like Lexus is the luxury Toyota brand, Vertu is Nokia’s luxury phone brand, where the leather and platinum of the phone is much more important than the OS or features.

Vertu makes some of the most expensive cellphones in the world by hand, which can feature crystal displays and sapphire keys and can cost more than 200,000 pounds.

While Nokia Vertu phone phones with Windows Phone has been rumoured, it seems it is unlikely they will make it to market. According to Reuters Nokia is looking to sell of this subsidiary to private equity group Permira PERM.U for around 200 million euros ($265.19 million).

The deal, being overseen by Goldman Sachs, was reported in the Financial Times, and has not been finalized yet, and regular readers will recall it seems to have been in the works since December 2011.

Nokia has told analysts the company taking whatever steps necessary to protect its cash hoard while continuing to transition from Symbian to Windows Phone 7. Hopefully at the end it will all seem worth it.

Via Theverge.com

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“Nokia Lumia 900 and better phones” to come to Saudi Arabia in October

April 28, 2012 | By Surur

In a small adjunct to out story yesterday about Nokia Saudi Arabia talking about “windows 8” coming to Nokia Lumia phones, it is of note that this was not the only forward-looking statement Nokia KSA had been making.

A day earlier there was the following exchange:

Bashayear: "When will the Lumia 800 be available in KSA"
NokiaKSA: "It wont be launched in Saudi Arabia, we will however bring the Lumia 900 and better phones in October- god willing"

Of note is that the tweet appears now to have been deleted, as well as yesterday’s Windows Phone 8 tweets, replaced with the statement :"Nokia phones and Windows system in Saudi Arabia would be supportive of the Arab, and the date of announcement of details of a Windows system is not determined yet”

Of course it is a relatively foregone conclusion that Nokia will be launching a high end Windows Phone 8 handset, and October is also the traditional launch date for new generations of Windows Phone handsets. Having this confirmed, if only briefly on twitter, is however always nice, and it simply leaves us to speculate about the specs and features of this newly rumoured handset.

Via aligonemobile.blogspot.co.uk

Thanks q8phantom and AQMNB for the tip.

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