iBall Andi 4L Pulse With Windows Phone 8.1 Reportedly Launched at Rs. 4,899

iBall seems set to launch a Windows Phone handset in India, the iBall Andi 4L Pulse, as the handset is said to be already available at Rs. 4,899 in the Indian market according to an established retailer. The smartphone will be the firm's first Windows Phone handset.
The company has not officially announced the iBall Andi 4L Pulse, but based on the Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom's track record, iBall will likely announce the smartphone's launch and availability details soon.

The retailer has also posted promotional material of the smartphone on Twitter, including the specifications. The iBall Andi 4L Pulse is said to feature a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC coupled with 1GB of RAM, and run on Windows Phone 8.1.

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Microsoft (MSFT) Scores Windows Phone Win with BMW

Recent reports indicate that German luxury automobile maker BMW, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (ETR:BMW) has ordered a large quantity of the Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Lumia branded Windows Phone devices. Information obtained from Germany states that BMW has purchased 57,000 Windows Phone handsets to be used by their employees. This would represent an upgrade for the company, as its employees are currently using older models of Nokia smartphones that run on the Symbian operating system.

Lumia 630, 920, or 930

A large portion of phones ordered by BMW will consist of the Lumia 630 model, which will go to the majority of the company’s employees. However, executives may receive either the Lumia 920 or Lumia 930, which are among Microsoft’s higher-end models in the Lumia lineup. It is expected that the handsets will be delivered and used by BMW’s employees sometime in 2015, although no specific dates have been released as to when the change to the new smartphone line will be finalized.

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Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

The best thing about smartphones is that they're always improving thanks to developers looking for ways to make our pocket computers even better. This week we have lots of great downloadables for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. Take a look and see if any strike your fancy.

Android

AirDroid is already a much loved app by Android users and should definitely be installed on your Mac/PC and Android device already, but it case it isn't, the AirDroid team is giving you even more reasons to download this useful utility app. AirDroid 3 brings iOS/Yosemite-like Continuity to Android phones. With Notification Mirror for example, users can quick respond to text messages as well as answer or dismiss phone calls all from a PC. If you have a rooted device running Android 4.0 or 5.0, there's also a neat feature called AirMirror, which perfectly mirrors your Android phone on your computer screen. AirDroid says they're hoping to make this second feature even more widely accessible in the future.

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Windows Phone 8.1 Update 8.10.14219.341 Available Now

Microsoft launched a new Windows Phone 8.1 update for member of the Preview for Developers program on Friday that adds a new cellular data toggle to the Action Center.

Note: This update is for members of the Windows Phone Developer Preview program. If want to become a member, check out our article on how to join the Developer Preview program.

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 8.10.14219.341

On the heels of Microsoft announcing the availability of Cortana (preview) for Windows Phone users in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, the company also rolled out the a new 8.10.14219.341 update.

As usual, just head to Settings > Phone Updates and grab the latest update. Of course your phone will reboot a couple of times during the update.

The update adds a cellular data toggle to the Action Center shown below which will allow you to easily disable your cellular data connection when you don’t need it.

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Sprint ATIV S Neo Windows Phone 8.1 Update Arrives

The Sprint Samsung ATIV S Neo is finally getting the Windows Phone 8.1 update that’s been rolling out on devices running Microsoft’s mobile operating system since earlier this year.

Sprint Samsung ATIV S Neo owners began getting the Windows Phone 8.1 update this morning, shortly after Sprint, America’s third-largest wireless carrier, updated its website to reflect the new Windows Phone update. Ironically, Sprint says it started rolling out the Windows Phone 8.1 update to ATIV S Neo users on December 1st, roughly three days ago.

Sprint Samsung ATIV S Neo users can download the Windows Phone 8.1 Update from the Settings app on their device. That may or may not immediately have the download since Microsoft rolls out updates to Windows Phones in batches. The Samsung ATIV S Neo will automatically check for updates and ask users to install them when they’re available. It’s a very good idea to connect to Wi-Fi and plug the device in before starting the update.

Make no mistake, Sprint Samsung ATIV S Neo owners and potential buyers should be very excited to get this upgrade. Windows Phone 8.1 is practically responsible for bringing Windows Phone 8 devices into the modern age.

For years, Windows Phone owners have watched jealously as iPhone users were able to control settings and search for information using Siri, the iPhone’s voice assistant. The Windows Phone 8.1 update brings Cortana to the Samsung ATIV S Neo. Cortana has a personality and will answer questions and make jokes when it’s appropriate. She’ll also take notes, change settings, search the web, and ask questions about locations and appointments when that’s necessary. She also reminds users to leave for their appointments on time and alert them of changing flight information.

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Windows Phone: 21 tips and tricks

1. Project your screen to your PC or TV

Projecting your phone to your PC or TV screen is surprisingly simple. Select Settings > System > Project My Screen. Your phone will automatically start searching for any devices near you that can take advantage of wireless screen projection. However, if your TV or PC monitor does not support this, it’s still possible to project your screen via USB on a Windows PC. First, download the Project My Screen app from Microsoft’s official Windows Phone website, install it on your system, restart, open the app, plug your phone into your PC and navigate to Project My Screen as before. This is great for showing off your videos and photos on a much larger screen.

2. Glance settings

Glance settings allow you to adjust your time and lock screen content when your phone is on standby. Select Settings > Glance Screen to see the full range of options, which are pleasingly extensive. Particularly useful options include glance screen timeout settings. Consider keeping it at “peek” or turned off completely if you’re worried about battery life. An interesting function called Night Mode allows you to set a timeframe – such as 10pm to 6am – during which your phone’s lock screen will change colour to a dark red, green or blue, in order to save your eyes from any intrusive glare that the standard white may cause. The blue is particularly effective.

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Edcon launches dual-sim VERSSED W1 Windows phone for R900

There’s been a lot of noise in the market about sub-R1 000 smartphones in South Africa over the past couple of months. And most of the devices launched in this very important part of the market have one thing in common – they’re powered by Google’s Android operating system.

Up until now, that is.

With the help of Qualcomm, Ingram Micro and, of course, Microsoft, the Edcon group (that’s Edgars Mobile, Jet Cellular, Edgars Active and CNA) has just launched a R900 (well, R899.90) Windows 8.1 handset it calls the ‘VERSSED W1′.

Available on the 15th of December 2015, the VERSSED W1 features dual-SIM capabilities and clever UX enhancements that allow for users to easily see which SIM they’re calling from, receiving calls from and of course using for SMS. It all forms part of Microsoft’s strategy announced at Mobile World Congress in February this year which included dual-SIM phones and a partnership with Qualcomm on their reference design program that has already brought phones like the Steppa 2.

Specs-wise, you shouldn’t expect a whole bunch for R900. That said, it’s by no means shabby.

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Huawei cancels all Windows Phone plans

Huawei has announced it is dropping all plans to make future Windows Phone smartphones. The reason is quite simple - it didn't make any money from manufacturing Windows Phone devices.

Huawei's spokesman went even further, stating that nobody has made any money from the Microsoft's OS. We guess it is referring to Microsoft's newest partners (Blu, Lava, Micromax, Prestigio, Yezz, among others), which opted for the free-of-license Windows Phone recently.

Huawei is a fast growing manufacturer with growing market share and its decision should be a blow to Microsoft's plans or aggressive Windows Phone expansion. Microsoft is trying to expand the WP market reach using massive price drops for the holiday deals and while this might be working, it seems its partners aren't doing as well as they would have hope for.

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Best Windows Phones: Holiday 2014

The end of 2014 is quickly approaching, so this is a great time to look back at the year that was in Windows Phone, and give our recommendation on the best Windows Phones for various price ranges. 2014 saw some change in the Windows Phone market, with the dominant player Nokia being purchased by Microsoft earlier this year. Microsoft also made some changes to the platform to make it easier to build a Windows Phone from scratch with the Qualcomm reference platform, and they changed the hardware requirements of the software to allow device makers to port their Android based smartphones over to Microsoft’s platform.

The former Nokia smartphone division is now Microsoft Mobile, and they have continued to churn out many different devices this year. This new division has focused mainly on the lower cost devices where they have seen the most traction. But the new hardware requirements have allowed a larger array of devices and manufacturers to come on-board in 2014. This has changed the landscape with competitive offerings from many manufacturers over a wide price range.

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Windows Phone 10 new build number 10.0.11345 spotted on WPBench

New builds for Windows 10 version of Windows phone has started appearing, although users will have to wait a little longer for the public release.

Chinese site ITHome has shared a list with the new OS version, which has started showing up on their server logs. The new OS features Windows Phone 8.15 builds, which were previously classified as Windows 10 for phones by former Microsoft employee, Nawzil, reports WMPU.

Nawzil, in a related news, has also revealed through a tweet that the latest Windows 10 phone build is 10.0.xxxxx, and it's no more the previous version 8.15.


Along with the new Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1iterations, Microsoft seems to be testing Windows 10 builds for the phone version. Recently, Windows Phone 10 build with build number 10.0.11345 has been spotted at the WPBench site.

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Huawei’s harsh words about Windows Phone are indicative of the problems plaguing the OS

Here in Japan, you might be forgiven for forgetting Microsoft exists outside the PC industry. The Xbox One has released to a career-ending deadend, a single Windows Phone 7 device was released, and Windows Phone 8 has been ignored entirely.

Elsewhere in the world, Microsoft has tried a bit harder. Primarily thanks to Nokia’s handsets (its mobile division now part of MS), Windows Phone has been steadily maintaining the 3.6% market share it arguably repossessed from Blackberry.

Suffice to say, outside of the Microsoft and Nokia fan communities, general consumer interest in Windows Phone is almost non-existent. Arguably the biggest news that hit the entire year from a non-Nokia OEM was HTC’s rehash of the One M8, this time running WP8. It offered nothing new per se, but was seen as a huge breakthrough for those seeking a premium product in the Microsoft market.

Huawei, no stranger to controversy these days, has just created another, though admittedly this one is less likely to tick off Android users. In a recent interview, Joe Kelly, Head of International Media Affairs, has put forth a rather bold and blistering evaluation of the Microsoft mobile market:

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Lava Iris Win1 Windows Phone arrives at Rs 4,999

A day after Celkon launched the cheapest smartphone running Windows Phone 8.1, Lava launched its Iris Win1 at a price of Rs 4,999. The Lava Iris Win1 will be available exclusively at Flipkart starting December 4.

The Lava Iris Win1 sports a 4-inch WVGA display and runs on a 1.2Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and 1GB RAM. It comes with 8GB of internal storage that is expandable to 32GB.
The smartphone comes with a 5MP Auto Focus BSI+ sensor back camera with LED flash and 0.3 MP front camera and runs on Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. On the connectivity front, it supports dual SIM (3G+2G), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, USB connectivity and is powered by a 1950 mAh Li-Ion battery.

This device comes with a Flip Cover and screen guard inside the box along with other standard accessories like charger, earphone and USB cable.

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Just in time for Christmas, Microsoft launches Digital Gift Cards for Windows Phone

It’s the time of year when attention turns to buying gifts. Black Friday is now out of the way, but there's still Cyber Monday for you to stock up on low-cost presents for yourself and others. There are plenty of electronic devices vying for attention as companies try to tempt you into parting with your cash, but if you're the indecisive type, there's always the trusty fall-back of the gift card.

Keen to give you as many ways as possible to throw your money in its direction, Microsoft has launched Digital Gift Cards for Windows Phone. This is an app that does very much what you would expect, making it possible to buy and share gift cards from the comfort of your Windows Phone. But Microsoft isn’t stupid. The gift cards themselves are not limited to Windows Phone purchases -- they can be used to buy apps, games, movies and music from Xbox and Windows stores.

Great for a last-minute gift, the digital gift cards are emailed out the instant payment is made. Bringing the gift card idea to mobile devices is interesting. Should you find yourself out shopping and unable to locate the perfect gift for your friends and family, you can opt to sort out all of your gift buying over a coffee -- send a batch of gift cards and leave your loved ones to decide what they would like to buy for themselves.

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Microsoft to reveal Windows Phone 10 features alongside Windows 10 Consumer Preview in late January

Last week, WinBeta exclusively revealed a number of new features which are set to make an appearance with the Consumer Preview in 2015. Within that story, we mentioned that Windows Phone 10 was also in the plans for an unveiling alongside Windows 10, which was also confirmed by The Verge recently.

Microsoft recently stated issuing Windows Phone 10 to partners. The first Windows Phone 10 build that was issued was 8.15.xxxxx, notice how the build number is 8.15 and not 10.0. Windows Phone is yet to catch up with the NT kernel change, and WinBeta is unable to confirm whether the build number will jump from 8.15 to 10.0 anytime soon.

Still, Windows Phone 10 is slated for an unveiling alongside the Windows 10 Consumer Preview in late January. Microsoft should talk about how Windows Phone and Windows 10 are the same in the Consumer Preview, and we're expecting a preview for phones to be released alongside the Consumer Preview as well, hopefully at the same time.

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Lumia 535 Smartphone Review: Microsoft's Brilliant Budget Bullet

Microsoft’s release of the Lumia 535 Windows Phone is a critical moment in Redmond’s mobile mission. Not that every handset release shouldn’t be regarded as critical (it’s never too early to start #failing), but the Lumia 535 comes at an important transitional time for the company as it is aimed at a vital market for the continued adoption of Windows Phone.

The Windows Phone project, for all the talk of high-end handset, impressive camera specifications, tight integration with enterprise and cloud services, has found much of its success at the low-end of the portfolio. Primarily through Nokia’s expertise in shifting high volumes of low-cost handsets, the Lumia 520 was seen not just as a success for Nokia, but a success for all of Windows Phone. Its low price and powerful facilities (due in part to the lesser specifications required from the hardware because of the design of Windows Phone) meant that dollar-for-dollar it was easy to call the Lumia 520 a success.

Now the 520′s successor in the form of the Lumia 535 is here. It has to content with the championship status of its predecessor, it has to deliver Microsoft’s marketing message for mobile to the low-end, primarily to the BRIC countries, and it has to do all of this without the power of ‘brand Nokia’ to back it.

All of these areas focus more on strategy rather than hardware, because that’s the nature of today’s mobile market – interdependence and connectedness of online services and personal networks, over and above the hardware. Microsoft has delivered a handset that, in my opinion, comfortably provides for the former  to be achieved. The first critical goal – solid and dependable hardware – has been reached and SIM free price of 110 Euros before tax ($135) is incredibly competitive.

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Black Friday 2014: Carphone Warehouse offering several discounted Windows Phone handsets

It's Black Friday, and this means you get to buy a wide range of products at amazing discounts. If you're residing in the UK, Carphone Warehouse is offering a flash sale on a number of flagship devices, including a number of Windows Phone handsets. The sale is valid from today until Tuesday so you need to act fast if the list contains any of your favorite Windows Phone handset. There's no high-end Windows Phone handset in the list such as the Lumia 930 or the Lumia 1520, but you can grab the likes of the Lumia 830 and 735.

Carphone Warehouse is offering several handsets, pay monthly and pay-as-you-go, at great discounts. Starting with the pay monthly plans, the retailer has waived off the upfront costs from most of the Windows Phones it's offering. Customers can grab a Lumia 735 for £0 upfront and £13 a month, a discount of £29.99 on the upfront cost. It's not just the Lumia 735, the affordable flagship device is also available for £0 and £18 a month, dropping the £49.99 upfront cost on the handset.

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Windows Phone 8.1 Finally Breaks The 50% Market Share Threshold

Windows Phone 8.1 accounted for more than 50 percent of all Windows Phone usage in November. It closed October with 46.7 percent of the market.

Windows Phone 8, its predecessor, still controls 33.5 percent of the Windows Phone base. That amount will decline as more carriers update phones that were initially sold with an earlier version of the Windows Phone platform.

Also worth noting in the above data is the 95 percent of the market that Microsoft controls. Microsoft wants both its gross sales figures to rise, and its percentage of the Windows Phone market to decrease. Microsoft would be far happier to sell twice the phones, at 80 percent of the market, than sell a few more, and control 95 percent — third-party OEM support is critical to the long-term health of Windows Phone. That’s not conjecture. The company wouldn’t be working to expand OEM uptake of Windows Phone if it didn’t want to see a more diverse manufacturer base for the platform.

At the same time, for us nerds, the 95 percent figure — and its likely only small change in December — means we’ll be able to quickly estimate the total Windows Phone handsets sold in the current calendar fourth quarter, Microsoft’s fiscal second. Extrapolating from Microsoft’s raw reported unit volume to the entire market’s size is simpler the larger the company’s personal market share remains.

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Windows Phone Stats: November 2014

In this month's look at Windows Phone handset usages, we see an important milestone being crossed, a big push by this year's low-end devices, and—finally!—news of new Microsoft Lumia handsets, including a few that might be marketed as flagship devices.

As you may remember, AdDuplex bills itself as the largest cross-promotion network for Windows Phone and Windows 8 apps, empowering developers and publishers to promote their apps for free by helping each other. And each month it provides a tantalizing glimpse at which Windows Phone (and Windows) devices people are actually using.

Here's what's happening with Windows Phone usage this month.

Lumia 630/635 continue upward. The Lumia 520 is still in the number one spot with 26.3 percent usage (or 30.2 percent if you add in the 521, which is fair), but its 2014-era replacement, the Lumia 630/635 is doing quite well, with the 630 taking third place in usage, with 7.1 percent, up from 6.4 percent last month. Ad Duplex notes that the Lumia 630 and 635 are "the most popular" of Microsoft/Nokia's 2014 devices. And sure enough, in the US, the 630 and 635 combine for 18.1 percent of the market, good for second place behind the 520/521 with 34 percent of the market.

Windows Phone 8.1 takes over. This month, Windows Phone 8.1 represents over 50 percent of total usage—50.8 percent to be exact—meaning that Microsoft's new OS version is now in use on more handsets than Windows Phone 8.0 (33.5 percent) and Windows Phone 7.x (15.7 percent) combined.

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VLC Media Player For Windows Phone Closed Beta Arrives

The sign-up program for VLC Media Player for Windows Phone beta was filled up in just a few hours after it was announced yesterday, which means that the long-awaited beta of VLC Media Player for Windows Phone is close to a release. One ought to remember that this happens to be a closed beta – at least in the here and now so only those who were successful in signing up yesterday would have the pleasure of giving this version a go.

VLC happens to be an extremely popular media player that is used mostly on desktop machines that run on the Windows platform, but it is nice to know that the team behind the VLC project has sweated it out in order to port the app over to the far more modern environment of Windows 8, followed on by a potential release on the mobile Windows Phone platform in due time.

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Celkon Win 400 With Windows Phone 8.1 Available Online at Rs. 4,999

Celkon seems set to join domestic handset makers such as Karbonn, Micromax, and Xolo with the launch of its first Windows Phone-based smartphone in India, the Win 400.
The Celkon Win 400 is now available to purchase from an e-commerce website priced at Rs. 4,999. However, no announcements have been made by Celkon about the official launch of the smartphone, nor is it listed on the company site.

It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device and the first smartphone in the company's line-up to run Windows Phone 8.1. The Celkon Win 400 features a 4-inch HD (480x800 pixels) IPS display, and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (MSM8212) alongside 512MB of RAM. It sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, while it also houses a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone includes 4GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB).

The smartphone is currently listed in Black colour variants only at Snapdeal. The smartphone measures 125.4x65x10.3mm and weighs 121 grams. It packs a 1500mAh battery which is rated to deliver up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours of standby time. The Celkon Win 400 comes with GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Micro-USB connectivity options.

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Microsoft Updates Facebook Beta App For Windows Phone

Microsoft has just introduced a brand new update for its Facebook Beta app for the Windows Phone platform, where there will be a slew of updates and changes made available, including allowing users to view sticker comments – which is the very first time in fact. In fact, the latest update for the Facebook Beta app for Windows Phone would bump up the version number to 8.3.3.1, where you can read up on the full list of changes introduced right after the jump.

In the latest update, users will be able to enjoy an updated design, video upload, messenger support, post detail page, photo commenting, the ability to edit comments, tagging improvements, upload improvements, performance improvements, the ability to view sticker comments as mentioned earlier, fixes for “dead end” notifications, fixes related to data sense settings, upload resiliency improvements, and general bug fixes.

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Microsoft launches Lumia 535 budget Windows phone for Rs 9,199

NEW DELHI: The Lumia 500 series of smartphones have always been aimed at budget conscious buyers. However with more and more Android budget smartphones coming with larger 5-inch displays, consumers were losing interest in Windows Phone devices. Microsoft aims to change that with the Lumia 535 - the company's first budget dual Sim smartphone with a 5-inch display and a 5MP front selfie camera. This is also the first smartphone to come with the Microsoft branding instead of Nokia.

The Lumia 535 features an all-plastic body and will come in bright attractive colours, now synonymous with Lumia phones. The 5-inch display has a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels and uses Gorilla Glass 3 for sturdiness. It runs the latest Windows Phone 8.1 on a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor coupled with 1GB RAM. Other hardware specifications include 8GB storage, microSD slot for expansion (up to 128GB supported) and a 1900mAh battery. You also get the usual 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, GPS and proximity sensor.

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Lumia Denim Update for Lumia Windows Phone 8 Devices to Commence Soon

The next iteration to Lumia Cyan firmware will start rolling out soon for Windows Phone users.

The confirmation comes from a posting by the official Lumia Twitter account, which states in a reply to a query regarding the Lumia Denim, that the update will be available soon following the testing and network operator's approval.

Not all Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices will receive the update. Besides, the operator devices usually take a long time to get approval. Regardless of this, the mention of 'soon' in the tweet conveys a positive sign.

The Lumia Denim firmware along with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 is expected to become available starting with Lumia 830 and Lumia 930, reports NokiaPowerUser. The Lumia 1520 is said to be the next contender to get the update.

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Where the hell is my Lumia Denim update for Windows Phone?

It's been a few months since Microsoft revealed its latest Lumia Denim update, which made its first appearance with the Lumia 730, 735 and 830. The update is expected to roll out for existing handsets in the fourth quarter of 2014, as per Microsoft.

Recently, the official Microsoft Lumia account confirmed on Twitter that Lumia Denim will "roll out soon following testing and carrier approval." Well, they failed to mention exactly when, but it's not Microsoft who is to blame here -- the update process for Windows Phone works in a different way.

Once the update is ready, it is sent to carrier partners who test the update on different smartphones, add their own logos and apps (bloatware), and make sure they work properly on the devices. Once the update is approved, it is rolled out to handset by carriers, not Microsoft -- at least for the carrier-branded handsets. Basically, it's your carrier who has control over your phone when it comes to updates. This is one of the reason why some carriers take a few weeks to roll out the update, while it takes months on some carriers like Verizon to push the update to its handsets.

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Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

This week some of the world's biggest apps just got better. Snapchat introduced an in-app payment system, powered by Square, called Snapcash, and WhatsApp began rolling out the largest implementation of end-to-end encryption ever. Oh yeah, and Facebook released a thing.

But amidst all these blockbuster headlines, lots of great apps joined iOS and Android, not to mention two official apps for Windows Phone in its ongoing quest to close the app gap. Here are the best apps of the week.

Android

Z Launcher

Grabbing headlines with its return to the hardware game with the N1 Android tablet, Nokia also launched an Android launcher meant to make Google fans lives a little bit easier. This app was originally announced in June but Nokia released the Z Launcher beta earlier this week. Perhaps its most interesting feature is letting you quickly search your app drawer by physically drawing letters on the screen with your finger. It's a little quirky and has a few rough edges that need smoothing, but it's worth the test drive considering it requires no monetary commitment

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Microsoft Lumia 535 Coming Soon To India: 5 Facts about Windows Phone 8.1 Powered Smartphone

Microsoft recently unleashed the Lumia 535, the first smartphone from the company without Nokia branding. It's arguably the next-big thing from the house of Microsoft that could further intensify the competition in the low-end segment.

 India is a huge growth opportunity for smartphones, and the Lumia 535 is designed with all the essential features to suit users' demand. That's why Microsoft is so much concerned about India and its growing interested in the low-end segment.

Recommended: Alcatel launches Flash with 5MP Front Selfie Camera, Octa Core Processor at Rs 9,999: Top 10 Rivals

The phone appears to be a budget handset with more emphasis on connectivity and software features. In fact, it is largely believed that Microsoft launched the Lumia 535 - just to take the breath away from Google, the team behind the Android One platform. But wait! Before we get into a new discussion, it's time to turn the page and learn some facts about the Microsoft Lumia 535. Have a look at the feature and let us have your comments below.

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Photosynth for Windows Phone updated, higher resolution support and improved stitching engine

Photosynth for Windows Phone has just gotten bumped to version 1.8. The popular photography app allows users to capture 360 degree panoramas by seamlessly stitching together a series of captured images, which can then easily be shared to friends and family via various social networks.

Photosynth version 1.8 brings support for capturing higher resolution images that will result in clearer panoramas and a higher level of detail; this should be great for those with Windows Phones sporting PureView camera like the Lumia 930, 1020 and 1520. The new version also introduces an improved stitching engine that should result in faster image processing when blending panoramas, along with less visual artifacts.

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Windows Phone will snatch biz No 2 spot from Android – analyst

Android for business is under threat from Microsoft, claims CCS Insight. The Chocolate company’s mobile OS will fall out of favour as the top alternative to Apple, says VP of Enterprise research Nick McQuire.

He sees Windows Phone, or Windows 10, as overtaking Android and BlackBerry as the second most popular OS for businesses by end of 2016. “Companies are now starting to look much more holistically,” he told El Reg. “Fast-forward from now and people are starting to look at integration.”



The move is driven by a number of factors, price is a major one with a corporate able to buy eight Windows phones for the price of one iPhone, there is increased packaging by Microsoft and the success of Office 365 are all helping to drive Windows Phone sales.

“As corporates buy apps and devices, there is much more value end-to-end in a Microsoft solution.”

While McQuire is at pains to point out that the Windows success is only for the business to business market he doesn’t just see this as being big corporates. He predicts that Windows Phone will be successful in companies that are smaller than 250 people, maybe so much smaller that they don’t have dedicated IT staff and want to offload as much IT as possible to cloud services.

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Microsoft Updates Intune Company Portal App for Windows Phone 8.1

Hopefully you've heard already, but Microsoft is in the midst of rolling out some significant capability updates for Microsoft Intune this week. Part of the updates, of course, is that Intune is finally getting rebranding from Windows Intune to Microsoft Intune. There's strong reasoning behind the rebranding and you can inform yourself about that here: Microsoft Intune Getting Big Updates This Week. The link also lists out the new features that will be available to all Microsoft Intune subscribers once the upgrade is complete.

One additional change is coming that was not communicated in the original list of feature improvements, and that is a change to how the Intune Company Portal app for Windows Phone 8.1 is offered and installed. Prior to this week's update, the Company Portal app was offered as a deployable download at Microsoft's Download Center. An administrator would download the app and make it available to the management system infrastructure to enable device enrollment for Windows Phone 8 devices. After downloading the Windows Phone 8 Company Portal App, the administrator had to code-sign the app. The download was infused with a Symantec certificate to ensure trustworthiness of the app and to help secure enrollments.

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When Microsoft merges Windows and Windows Phone with Windows 10 what designs should they keep?

Design

Windows has modern theme tools which consist of 2 color choices and a background. Windows Phone lets users pick one color and either black or white. Users can also choose to have their tiles be transparent with a picture behind them. The differences become apparent when using different parts of the operating systems. Windows Phone tends to have a lot of black or white with the occasional color accent. Windows has the primary color choice as the major fill and the secondary color choice as the accent.

Windows Phone core apps follow a simple black/white background with the accent coloring some text. Windows takes a different approach to app design. Every app in Windows has its own design. For example, the mail app uses blue and white, people uses orange and white/grey, calendar is purple and white. This is very different from the people, email, and calendar apps on Windows Phone which all have a solid black/white background with the accent color scattered throughout the app sparingly.

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Microsoft aims to offer Windows 10 upgrades for all Windows Phone 8 Lumias, but makes no promises

News suggesting that Microsoft plans to offer Windows 10 upgrades for all its Windows Phone 8 devices broke today. That would mean any Lumia smartphone that runs Windows Phone 8.x would eventually get the latest and greatest operating system from the company. Sadly, that’s not completely true.

A November 11 tweet from the Lumia account was picked up Windows Central, followed by other publications as Windows Phone owners got excited:

We contacted Microsoft to confirm or deny the answer its support team gave. It turns out the company’s stance right now (remember, it hasn’t detailed much about Windows 10 for smartphones just yet) isn’t crystal clear.

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Microsoft’s Android and iOS focus leaves Windows users in the cold

Windows Phone users are used to waiting for Microsoft to deliver on its promises, but the company has been testing their patience recently. Microsoft has abandoned its "first and best on Windows" strategy in favor of cross-platform apps that are nearly always better on Android and iOS than their Windows tablet and phone counterparts. Office is the latest proof of a continuous trend that’s leaving Microsoft’s most loyal Windows customers out in the cold.

After shipping Office for iPad earlier this year, way ahead of a touch-optimized Windows release, Microsoft followed up with an even better version for the iPhone last week. While the initial Office for iPhone app, released last year, offered basic editing like its Windows Phone counterpart, the new app goes way above and beyond the functionality Microsoft ships on Windows Phone. Comparing the two almost feels unfair at this stage. Microsoft is working on new touch-optimized versions of Office for Windows tablets and phones, but the company won’t deliver them until Windows 10 is ready next year. It’s another period of waiting for Windows fans.

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Xbox Video app for Windows Phone now shows videos from your camera roll thanks to the latest update

Microsoft has rolled out a new update to the Xbox Video app (also known as the Video app) for Windows Phone. The update is available for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1, bumping the version numbers to 1.6.407.0 and 2.6.407.0 respectively.

The app update fixes two things. First, you can now see your videos from your camera roll directly within the Xbox Video app. The update also fixed an issue that caused the multi-select button to disappear when offline.

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The first Microsoft-branded Windows Phone rolls out: The unremarkable Lumia 535

Microsoft announced the Microsoft Lumia 535 Monday night, dropping the Nokia brand on its smartphone for the first time.

Although the back of the phone is still decked out in the trademark Lumia bright colors, there’s one significant change: The phone carries the Microsoft logo, not the Nokia brand.

Unfortunately, that might be the biggest news about this phone. Although it’s available worldwide in both single- and dual-SIM variants, the Lumia 535 isn’t especially noteworthy: Microsoft calls it a “5x5x5” phone, available for about 110 euro ($136.70) in local currencies.

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The Lumia 535 Is Microsoft's First Non-Nokia Windows Phone

Microsoft has now officially buried the Nokia brand name with the launch of the Lumia 535, a low-end Windows Phone for emerging markets with the Microsoft name on the back.

Rather than debuting the new management with a bold new flagship phone, Microsoft is sticking to the tried-and-tested Lumia formula: bold colors, basic internals, and a low pricepoint. For about $140, you get a five-inch 960 x 540 screen, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, and 1GB of RAM, all wrapped in a colorful (and removable) shell. There's also a 5-megapixel camera that Microsoft is touting for its Skype (and selfie, ugh) capability.

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Nokia Lumia 830 Windows Phone Review: High Quality at an Affordable Price

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The new Lumia 830 smartphone is the last model that will carry the Nokia name -- at least for the foreseeable future. It's the final Windows Phone device that was in the pipeline when Microsoft (MSFT) purchased the cell phone division from Nokia (NOK) a little more than a year ago.

With the Nokia Lumia 830, you can tell by the model number that it's a mid-range, mid-priced device. The 930 and it's cousin, the Icon, are higher-end Lumia smartphones.

The 830 is an AT&T (T) exclusive. It has a 5-inch "Clear Black" IPS touchscreen (1280 by 720 pixels for 294 pixels-per-inch) and comes with a quad-core, 1.2 GHz Qualcomm (QCOM) Snapdragon 400 processor, 1 GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (plus microSD card expansion possibilities). The 2,200 mAh rechargeable battery is user-replaceable, which Microsoft claims you'll have as much as 14 hours of 3G talk time and up to 528 hours of standby on a full charge.

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Softcard brings NFC payment support to US Windows Phone users

Softcard is bringing NFC payment support to the Windows Phone mobile platform.

The company, a mobile payments joint venture between AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon, aims to bridge the gap between merchants, banks, tech firms and brands. Users who wish to pay for products using Softcard's near-field communication (NFC) technology currently must be customers of these carriers, and if their device is compatible, can use an accompanying app to set up NFC payment through their smartphone.

Currently, Softcard users can pay at hundreds of thousands of stores across the United States, and are able to earn loyalty points and use special offers at partnered merchant locations.

Speaking at the Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Softcard CEO Michael Abbott announced the NFC app has come to Windows Phone, making Softcard the only provider of a "NFC-based mobile wallet supported on multiple mobile operating systems." By the end of the year, Abbott hopes Softcard will be supported on over 100 mobile devices.

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Windows 10 for Windows Phone and Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 Builds Under Testing

Microsoft is reportedly working on new builds of Windows Phone mobile operating system.

While Microsoft testing the next Windows Phone version itself is not a surprise, what is noteworthy is that according to a Twitter message posted by ex-Microsoft employee, Nawzil, the company is working on three Windows Phone development streams at present, reports WMPU.

Latest known #WindowsPhone builds: 8.1 #Update1: 8.10.14200 8.1 #Update2: 8.10.15XXX #Windows10: 8.15.12434 Internal builds, not released.

— Nawzil (@Nawzil8) November 2, 2014
The first is for Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 with build version 8.10.14200. Lumia 930, Lumia 830, Lumia 730 and Lumia 735 are a few of the devices running Windows Phone 8.1 Update.

The second one is Windows Phone 8 Update 2 running build number 8.10.15xxx. The Update 2 or GDR2 is rumoured to pack new features such as a data toggle in the Action Centre, sortable settings, support for new processors and Cortana in Alpha for more regions. The update was expected to hit in October.

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Android's Q3 marketshare grows at expense of iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry

       Google's Android mobile operating system captured 83.6 percent of the global smartphone market in the third quarter, at the expensive of iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry.
That's theo Latest figures from research firm Strategy Analytics, Android mà Reveal That's slice of the global smartphone market from 81.4 percent in Q3 Grew in 2013 to 83.6 percent this year. This, theo firm, affordably-priced is thanks to smartphones and ease of use of the operating system.

Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said: "Android's global smartphone Leadership of the market looks unbeatable at the moment. Its low-cost services and attractive user-friendly software to hardware makers Remain, Consumers and operators worldwide.
Tuy nhiên, Mawston WARNED rằng Android's dominance might not continue, warning: "The Android platform is getting overcrowded with hundreds of hardware brands, Android Smartphone Prices are falling worldwide, and ít Android device vendors make Profits."

Still, for now Google does not have much to worry about, as Android's third quarterly Comes grow at the expensive of rival operating systems.

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Top five reasons to avoid Windows Phone and keep your Android/iOS device

A few weeks ago, we proposed five reasons you may wish to dump your iPhone or Android device for a Windows Phone. However, we know Windows Phone has its own faults. So here are our top five reasons to avoid Windows Phone and let it mature a bit more. Be sure to check out last week’s post and then head on below.

Application Ecosystem
While I  love Windows Phone’s beautiful Start Screen with Live Tiles, you are going to need apps to fill that space. The application ecosystem is currently Microsoft’s biggest downfall, even four years after its initial release. Many popular applications including Snapchat, Tinder, WatchESPN, SoundCloud, Square, Secret and many more, are still missing. In recent months, we have seen the popular arrival of applications such as Tumblr, Pinterest, and ooVoo. Games are a similar story, while we have a collection of great games, many of the top quality games we see on other platforms take months to get to Windows Phone (if it ever does).

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How to Enable Hotspot on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry

We wrote about easy ways to turn your laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot earlier, and some readers asked us how to turn their smartphones into a hotspot. As it turns out, it's much simpler than turning your laptop into a hotspot and all mobile operating systems come with one-click methods of doing this very easily.

However, some telecom operators may not allow you to create a hotspot. They might restrict it if you are on a plan that allows high data usage or they may not enable this feature unless requested. So if you don't see these options, try getting in touch with your operator.

Here's how to turn your phone or tablet into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

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Windows Phone's Market Share Drops Globally; China Woes Worsen: Report

Microsoft's fortunes with Windows Phone don't seem to be getting any better, and its worldwide market share continues to slide despite an increase in sales volume, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
As per the data collected since last September by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Android is continuing its dominance of the European market (France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK) with a 73.9 percent share, while Apple stands second with 15.4 percent and Windows Phone at third with 9.2 percent.

Across the top five markets in Europe, Windows Phone has seen an 0.3 percent drop in market share on average between September 2013 and September 2014. The US Windows Phone market also saw the same 0.3 percent drop during this period.

The two biggest market share drops for Microsoft in the period have come from Australia with 3.1 percent, and China with 2.8 percent. In fact, China, the world's largest smartphone market, seems to be the most worrying market for Microsoft, as the Windows Phone market share has now become almost non-existent at 0.4 percent. Out of the data published by research firm, Italy and Japan are the only two markets where Windows Phone share increased marginally, at 1.5 percent and 0.2 percent respectively. Notably, Windows Phone has the second-highest market share in Italy, behind only Android, at 15.2 percent.

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Microsoft begins retreat from Windows Phone with platform-agnostic Microsoft Health

Software giant Microsoft has formally entered the wearables game with the launch of its Microsoft Health platform and accompanying Microsoft Band fitness band. But the real significance behind this move is Microsoft’s decision to make both products platform-agnostic, implying Microsoft has decided to no longer pin its mobile hopes on Windows Phone.

Microsoft Health is a cloud fitness platform that allows users to store all their health data, and presumably advertise their fitness achievements incessantly on social media. The Microsoft Band has all kinds of sensors, including some tech borrowed from the Kinect motion sensor, to keep an eye on your well-being and record it. Combining the two with clever algorithms allows the user to be constantly nagged towards improving their lifestyle and thus, theoretically, their quality of life.

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8 Zip, a powerful file archiver for Windows Phone and Windows 8, is this week's myAppFree deal

8 Zip is a feature rich file archiver that is available for Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices. The app allows you create, open and manage a wide range of archive formats.

The app also supports transparent Live Tiles and theme customizations to give 8 Zip a personal touch. 8 Zip is also this week's myAppFree deal, which can save you a good bit on this Windows Phone and Windows 8 app.

Cutting to the chase, here are the key features of 8 Zip.

Create archive file in a variety of formats that include ZIP, 7z, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2 and XZ
Open archived files in RAR, ZIP, 7z, ZipX, ISO, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ARJ, CAB and other formats
Strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats
Multi-volume archives extraction support
Extract files from archives
Add and delete files from archives
Open files in archives

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Windows Phone Shrinks In Android-Dominated Europe, As New iPhones Boost iOS’ Share

Spare a thought for Microsoft, a relative newcomer to the mobile making business, after Redmond completed its $7.2BN+ acquisition of former European mobile making powerhouse Nokia earlier this year. If Microsoft was hoping to see quick marketshare wins in Europe once its hands were fully on the levers of production that has not come to pass.

The latest 12-week smartphone sales figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, up to this September, indicate that Windows Phone’s already small share of the smartphone market has shrunk in Europe — dropping 0.3 percentage points in aggregate across the top five markets in Europe (the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Germany).

Breaking those markets out individually, only Italy continues to see marketshare gains for Windows Phone, with a 1.5 percentage point rise on the year ago period in that market — giving Microsoft’s OS a 15.2 per cent share on smartphone sales in the country (where it is second only to Android’s 71.8 per cent).

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Windows Phone 8.1 is now on 47% of handsets; Lumia 630 leading the way

It’s that time of the month again when we take a look at the AdDuplex report and check-in on the Windows Phone ecosystem. AdDuplex is an ad exchange platform present on thousands of applications in the Windows Phone Store so it can give us a nice snapshot of how Microsoft’s platform is doing.

There aren’t any big surprises this month but we do see a continuation of the trends that have dictated the recent past the Windows Phone OS and its devices.

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Cortana gives voice to Fitbit’s Windows Phone app, her first in-app integration

While most people don't really care what you've eaten for lunch, Microsoft's Cortana wants to hear all about it.

Fitbit has become the first third-party Windows Phone app to integrate Microsoft's virtual assistant within the app itself, letting users dictate what they've eaten by voice. Users can activate voice commands by tapping the microphone button at the bottom of the app, then hitting “Start Listening.”

The app then taps into a large database of meals, from things you can eat at home to dishes at chain restaurants. You can also create custom meals for easy addition later. All your eating habits appear on a chart, measuring calorie intake against calories burned. An update coming in December will let users log their activities and enable exercise mode as well. Fitbit has also brought over the "Challenges" feature from its other apps, letting users egg each other on with various fitness goals.

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This Week's Best Android, iPhone, iPad, and Windows Phone Apps

They say that there is an app for everything, but is there an app that means we don't have to exercise? I think not, which is a shame because exercise sucks. They say that technology is designed to make our lives easier, but we still need to pay for a gym membership and pretend to feel guilty when we don't go. Until that time, we have many other apps to look at. Enjoy!

Iphone aaps

Olocode: Something that hasn't really caught up with the digital/smartphone age is sharing business information in person. Olocode is a digital business card: just hand over your Olocode ID and another person can enter you into their contacts. Best of all any changes to your Olocode info will be reflected for everyone you've shared with, unlike the pulped-tree variety. Plus it can scan and store physical cards.

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Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

This week we saw an insane amount of new apps. Facebook Creative Labs revealed mobile-friendly message boards for iOS. Google wants completely reimagine your inbox. Even Skype had a doodle-centric tweak for Windows Phone. But there's much, much more to explore in the world of our three favorite operating systems, so let's take a look, shall we?

Android

Here Maps is the well-known Nokia mapping application exclusive to Windows Phone. However, the app has slowly been colonizing other parts of the mobile world, even coming to Samsung Galaxy phones in the summer. This week, the Here team has released a free beta download for Android through their website. With accurate mapping tech and friendly user interface, Here Maps could very well replace Google Maps as your go-to GPS buddy. [Free]

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Fitbit for Windows Phone 8.1 Adds Background Sync, Cortana Integration

For the past few weeks I've been using a beta version of the Fitbit app for Windows Phone 8.1 which significantly improves the experience of using a Fitbit fitness band with your favorite smart phone platform. The new version of the app, which is now available, adds Cortana integration and, more important, background sync so you don't need to manually sync the band data.

"As we do across all mobile platforms, we're continuing to design features that empower people with information and motivate them to set and reach goals with fun and engaging experiences on our mobile apps," Fitbit CEO James Park said in a prepared statement. "However, with the custom Cortana integration, we worked closely with Microsoft to design around its unique and innovative intelligent personal assistant technology to create an awesome experience for Fitbit users syncing to the Windows Phone platform, making it even easier for them to track and take control of their health and fitness results."

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Windows Phone depends on app quality

      According to Microsoft, their Windows Phone Store now features more than 300,000 apps and games as of late last week. Two months ago, that number stood at 255,000 apps. A month later, 270,000. The interesting aspect of this milestone, as Softpedia also notes, is not so much the number of apps, but the rate in which they were added:

This milestone is much more important given the fact that it was achieved during summer, when usually developers should be away on holiday. It’s also important to note that Windows Phone Store gained more than 30,000 apps in just three weeks, which means that by the end of the year, there’s a high chance it will reach 4-500,000 apps.

For mobile app developers, there may be no time like the present to establish a presence in Windows Phone Store. Though a distant third in terms of OS marketshare (at 3.4% compared to Android’s 52.1% and iOS’ 41.3%), it’s obvious that the ecosystem still has room to grow.

But while the quantity of apps makes headlines, it’s the quality of apps that will ultimately determine the operating system’s success and longevity. If the data is accurate, it appears as though this point has not been lost on Windows Phone developers.

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