Nokia Drive+ now available for non-Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices in US, UK and Canada

One of the key differentiators for Nokia's Windows Phone devices, the company's navigation app, is now available to all Windows Phone 8 users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The app, which is called Nokia Drive+, is still in Beta and is available for free on the Windows Phone Store.
This essentially means that users who own Windows Phone 8 devices made by HTC (Samsung's devices have still not gone on sale), will be able to experience features like full turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation, offline maps, speed limit warnings, and day and night modes, which were till now, only available on Nokia's Windows Phone devices.
It's worth noting that Nokia had announced that it would make Nokia Drive available to other Windows Phone 8 partners in 110 countries, coinciding with the announcement of the Windows Phone 8 platform, in June 2012. Nokia's location assets are one of the richest, with map data for nearly 200 countries. So Microsoft's strategic partnership with Nokia which aims at strengthening the Windows Phone ecosystem is finally bearing fruit. We are looking forward to Nokia releasing the app in other markets, including India, soon.

Windows Phone 7.8 update expected on January 31: Microsoft

Finally, there is some bit of good news for smartphone users with Windows Phone 7.5 devices. It seems that Microsoft is all set to roll out a Windows Phone 7.8 update for these smartphones shortly.
Recently, Microsoft posted an optional Windows Phone SDK Update for Windows Phone 7.8 on its developer's blog. This update offers two new Windows Phone 7.8 emulator images to the existing SDK installation. With the help of these two emulator images the developers will be able to fully test how their Windows Phone 7.5 app's Live Tiles will look and behave when they are running on Windows Phone 7.8 devices.
With the help of this update, Windows Phone users will be able resize their Live Tiles much like the Windows Phone 8 users. Users will have the option to choose from three different sizes for tiles on the home screen. The update will also bring new themes and accent colours along with a new lock screen option to automatically display the Bing picture of the day.
More recent reports have indicated that Microsoft will be launching the Windows Phone 7.8 update pretty soon. The British telecom carrier O2 had indicated that the update will be rolled out by the end of January while Microsoft's Colombian Facebook page had posted that this update will arrive on January 31, 2013. From the current scheme of things it appears that it's just a matter of days when Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 7.5 users will get an update notification.
Furthermore, Microsoft has also posted in its blog that, "new phones with Windows Phone 7.8 are beginning to ship." Not sure of what Microsoft is trying to indicate through this. To us it can mean two things. One, handset makers might be planning to ship their existing smartphones pre-loaded with Windows Phone 7.8 in the near future. Second, it could mean that the company is planning to launch new smartphones on the lines of Nokia Lumia 510 and Nokia Lumia 610 with Windows Phone 7.8. In either case, we will have to wait a little longer to know how things unfold in the future.
Microsoft has already announced the most recent version of its mobile operating system - Windows Phone 8 - in October 2012. Currently, Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 820, HTC 8X and HTC 8S are already shipping in India with Windows Phone 8 and it is expected for companies like Huawei and Samsung to soon bring their Windows Phone 8 smartphones in India.

Microsoft's next-gen 'Xbox' to be a hub for other 'X-branded' devices: Report

Codenamed Durango until now, Microsoft's next generation console more commonly known as the Xbox 720 will be simply referred to as the 'Xbox' as reported by Pocket-lint.

The site claims that the software giant is sticking to the console's original naming convention when it was launched 11 years ago. The blog further states that the Xbox will function as a hub for other X-branded devices, including the X-Surface, a 7-inch gaming tablet from Microsoft.

Citing a source close to the project, Pocket-lint has learnt that the X-Surface will be a "standalone portable gaming system" that will allow access to the games, music and video hubs of the latest console. Also, there will be no separate desktop and that it will be focused on providing gamers with a full-console-like experience for playing games.

As far as specs on the tablet are concerned, details are sketchy right now but the source claims that they "witnessed Unreal Engine 3 demos running at a solid 60fps". It has much improved hardware over the company's current Surface RT tablet.

Speaking of specs, earlier this week CVG reported via VGLeaks that the new Xbox console will be powered by a 1.6GHz 8-core CPU most likely from AMD and an 800MHz GPU with 12 shader cores "providing a total of 768 threads", and boast 1.2 teraflops of processing power.


Furthermore, it will feature 8GB RAM on-board, with 32MB of fast embedded SRAM at double the throughput speed, and a 50GB-capable 6x Blu-ray drive. Wireless connectivity options include both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct and there's still a Gigabit Ethernet port for gamers with low-latency multiplayer demands.

It'll also come with USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4a (which supports 3D over HDMI) Ethernet, audio return channels and 4K resolution. The console will also reportedly come with Kinect multichannel echo cancellation (MEC) hardware.

The tipster at Pocket-lint has confirmed some of the leaked specifications for the console, claiming that "the majority of information leaked recently by many sources is true."

In some more news relating to next-gen consoles, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai wants Microsoft to make the first move. Speaking to The Times, Hirai said, "Why go first, when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?"

We know one thing for sure. Both Sony and Microsoft are expected to reveal their new consoles this year with gamers across the world highly anticipating their launch either at E3 or perhaps even earlier. 

iPhone most popular in US, while Android popular worldwide in Q4 2012: Report

Apple's iPhone remained the most popular smartphone among US buyers in the closing months of 2012 while Android handsets were on top worldwide, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reported on Tuesday.
"At the end of 2012, the global (operating system) picture shows Android on top, but clearly the rate of growth it experienced over the past year is beginning to slow as easy wins from first-time smartphone buyers begin to reduce," said Kantar global consumer insight director Dominic Sunnebo.
Apple iPhones accounted for 51.2 percent of smartphone sales in the United States during the 12-week period ending December 23rd of last year, according to Kantar.
Smartphones powered by Google-backed Android software made up slightly more than 44 percent of sales while handsets based on Microsoft's Windows operating system were a distant third-place with 2.6 percent, the report indicated.
Android smartphones continued to be best sellers in major markets including Britain, China, Spain, Australia, and Germany while iPhones were favored in Japan as well as the United States, according to Kantor.
Windows smartphones appeared to be catching on in Europe, with its shares of sales in Britain and Italy climbing to 5.9 and 13.9 percent respectively, the reported indicated.
"Windows Phone is now starting to gain respectable shares in a number of key European countries," Sunnebo said.
"However, its performance in the Chinese and US markets remains underwhelming; these remain key challenges for Microsoft to overcome during 2013."

Google unblocks Maps on Windows Phone

Various users have reported that they are now able to access Google Maps as usual on Windows Phone, indicating that Google has reversed the block it had put in place earlier.

Last Friday, Windows Phone users had reported that while trying to access the Web-based version of Google Maps, they were being redirected to google.com on their phones.

Though initially, the search giant remained quiet about the problem, it later issued a statement to The Next Web offering an explanation.

"The mobile web version of Google Maps is optimised for WebKit browsers such as Chrome and Safari. However, since Internet Explorer is not a WebKit browser, Windows Phone devices are not able to access Google Maps for the mobile web."

This was followed by a statement from Microsoft falsifying Google's explanation. In its defence, Microsoft argued that the company uses the same rendering engine in the version of Internet Explorer used in Windows Phone 8 as the one in Windows 8.  The latter has no trouble accessing Google Maps.

However, people could use the desktop version of Google Maps just fine by changing the user agent on the Windows Phone simulator to something that doesn't say Windows Phone or identifies itself as Internet Explorer for Windows Phone. To be more specific, misspelling "Windows Phone" makes Google Maps work, which is interesting.

Later, Google admitted that it had chosen to block access to Maps from Windows phone for other reasons, mainly that it didn't think that Internet Explorer was good enough. It also mentioned that Mozilla's Firefox mobile browser "did offer a somewhat better user experience" and so the company chose not to redirect those users.

As far as the epic battle between Microsoft and Google is concerned, this is a continuation of Google's war on Microsoft. It recently announced plans to drop Exchange ActiveSync support for Gmail, which means Windows Phone users will not be able to use Gmail on their phones.

In more recent events, the software giant stepped up its criticism of Google on antitrust grounds, claiming the Internet giant refuses to allow Windows Phone users "proper access" to the YouTube video service.

Nokia India launches Lumia 620 with Windows Phone 8, ships early February

Nokia has launched the low-end Lumia 620 smartphone in the country. The device will be available in early February with pricing details currently unknown. The smartphone will be available in vibrant colour options of black, cyan, magenta, yellow and white.

The budget Windows Phone 8 offering from Nokia was announced last December with an unsubsidised pricing of $249. The Lumia 620 sports a 3.8-inch TFT WVGA display (800X480) with ClearBlack technology. It features a 5-megapixel rear autofocus shooter capable of 720p video recording and has a VGA front camera on-board as well.

On the inside, the device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 512MB RAM and has 8GB internal storage with microSD support upto 64GB. Windows Phone users can also make use of the additional 7GB SkyDrive storage.

The smartphone boasts connectivity options like NFC, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi. It comes with a 1,300mAh battery claiming up to 15 hours of talk time (2G) and many hours of music playback.

As any other Windows Phone 8 device, the Nokia Lumia 620 will feature a Live Tile interface for updates to the Start Screen, PeopleHub and a Me Tile along with other Windows Phone 8 functions.

Nokia is betting big on the Lumia 620's 'dual-shot' technique, which helps in creating new colours and textures for this smartphone. So what this 'dual shot' actually does is cast two layers of polycarbonate, a single base layer and a second colour, in a transparent/ translucent layer, to produce depth effects and secondary colour blends. For example, yellow and cyan are combined to produce a lime green colour.

Other features include Cinemagraph, the exclusive Lumia camera feature that adds motion to still images; City Lens that reveals nearby places when you hold it up to scan your environment and SmartShoot that takes a series of pictures in one click allowing you to choose the best portions of each picture to create the perfect photo.

Apart from launching the Lumia 620, the company has also launched the highly awaited Lumia 920and 820 smartphones. The Lumia 920 is priced at Rs. 38,199 while the Lumia 820 costs Rs. 27,559. Both smartphones will be available in multiple colours starting January 11, 2013.


Nokia Lumia 620 key specifications 

• 3.8-inch TFT WVGA (800X480) ClearBlack display
• 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
• 512MB RAM
• 8GB internal storage with microSD support up to 64GB
• 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash
• HD video recording @30fps
• VGA front camera
• NFC, WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4Ghz + 5Ghz, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, Micro-USB
• 1,300mAh battery
• Windows Phone 8
• 115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02mm
• Weighs 127g

Nokia launches Lumia 820 in India, priced at Rs. 27,559

Nokia has launched the Lumia 820 in India and revealed the price as Rs. 27,559.
The Nokia Lumia 820 is the younger sibling of the Lumia 920, which was launched in India on Thursday as well.
Nokia announced the Lumia 820 way back in September at a special event held in New York.
The Nokia Lumia 820 comes with a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with 800x480 resolution. It is powered by a Snapdragon S4 processor alongside 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable by another 64GB via a microSD card.
The Lumia 820 comes with a 8.0-megapixel rear camera, but without the PureView technology found in the Lumia 920 and the legendary Nokia 808. It comes with a VGA front camera for video calls. Like the Lumia 920, the Lumia 820 also comes with NFC and wireless charging, as well as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Micro-USB connectivity options.
The phone comes with a 1,650mAh battery and weighs a hefty 160 grams.
The Nokia Lumia 820 runs Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 8 operating system. Windows Phone 8 brings a host of improvements to Windows Phone like Internet Explorer 10, Nokia Maps and user resizable tiles.
Nokia Lumia 820 will be available in red, yellow, cyan, white and black colours starting Friday.
Nokia also launched the Lumia 920 and Lumia 620 in the country.

Nokia Lumia 820 specifications

• 4.3-inch (800x480) AMOLED ClearBlack display
• Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage (expandable by 64GB via microSD card)
• 8.0-megapixel rear camera
• VGA front camera
• Wireless charging
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Micro-USB
• Windows Phone 8
• 1,650mAh battery
• 123.8mm x 68.5mm x 9.9mm
• 160g

Sony's PlayStation 3 dethrones Microsoft's Xbox 360 as top selling console: Report

Sony's PlayStation 3 bumped Microsoft Xbox 360 from the videogame console sales throne in December, according to a report released Wednesday by industry tracker International Data Corporation.
The number of PS3 units shipped by Sony hit an estimated 77 million units, topping Xbox 360 shipments by approximately a million despite the fact that Microsoft released its latest-generation console a year before Sony did.
The report by IDC gaming research manager Lewis Ward projected that shipments of Nintendo's recently-launched Wii U videogame consoles would top 50 million by the end of the year 2016.
Ward contended that consoles will retain their strongholds in homes while also expanding to include streaming movies, television shows and other digital entertainment.
"The console ecosystem is in a state of flux since these platforms need to support an ever-growing array of non-gaming features and services at the same time that game distribution and monetization is moving in a digital direction," Ward said.
"It doesn't appear that alternative platforms set-top boxes from cable companies, Web-connected smart TVs, and so on are positioned to materially disrupt the trajectory of the 'big 3' console OEMs in 2013 or 2014."
He believed that packaged videogame discs will remain the console game revenue mainstay for years to come despite a gradual shift by players to downloading game software online in digital formats.
Videogame industry sales should be bolstered by the arrival of next-generation videogame consoles from Sony and Microsoft, according to Ward.
"With the advent of eighth-generation consoles, starting with the Wii U, historical norms strongly imply that game disk revenue will stop bleeding in 2013 and rise substantively in 2014," he said in the report.

Google's Motorola drops key patent claims against Microsoft

Google unit Motorola Mobility has asked a trade panel to drop two key patents from an infringement complaint that it filed against Microsoft, according to a filing at the International Trade Commission.
The ITC has been considering accusations by Motorola Mobility, which has since been purchased by Google, that Microsoft infringed on its patented technology to make its popular Xbox.
Google filed a motion with the ITC on Tuesday, asking that two patents be withdrawn from the case. One patent remains, according to the filing.
The withdrawal was required under an agreement that Google made with the Federal Trade Commission last week settling a pair of long-running antitrust investigations.
The FTC, U.S Department of Justice and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assert that companies should not request sales bans when filing patent infringement lawsuits based on patents that are essential to a standard in most cases. Standard essential patents ensure that devices are interoperable.
Microsoft identified the two patents withdrawn from the ITC case as standard essential patents.
"We're pleased that Google has finally withdrawn these claims for exclusion orders (sales bans) against Microsoft, and hope that it will now withdraw similar claims pending in other jurisdictions," David Howard, Microsoft's deputy general counsel, said in an emailed statement.
Google did not immediately respond to requests for a comment.
Microsoft said that standard essential patents had been asserted in cases in Wisconsin and Washington district courts, both of which have been stayed. Sales bans, or injunctions, were requested in both cases, Microsoft said.
The ITC is a popular venue for patent lawsuits because it can bar the importation of infringing products and because it issues decisions relatively quickly.
The International Trade Commission case is No. 337-752.
© Thomson Reuters 2012

Lenovo launches IdeaPad Yoga hybrids starting Rs. 61,790

Lenovo launches IdeaPad Yoga hybrids starting Rs. 61,790

Lenovo has launched the IdeaPad Yoga series of hybrid devices in India. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga series features hybrid devices that double up as laptops as well as tablets. The two models launched are the IdeaPad Yoga 13 and IdeaPad Yoga 11.
The Windows 8 running Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 features a 13.3-inch 1600x900 multi-touch display. It is powered by 3rd generation Intel Core processors alongside 4GB RAM (upgradable to 8GB) and integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. The IdeaPad Yoga 13 sports 128GB SSD storage, webcam, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth, HDMI, 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 USB 3.0 port and a 2-in-1 card reader.
Lenovo claims 8 hours of battery life on the IdeaPad Yoga 13 which is now available for Rs. 84,290.
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 is a Windows RT device that sports a 11.6-inch 1366x768 multi-touch display. It is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor alongside NVIDIA ULP GeForce and 2GB RAM. It comes with 2 USB 2.0 ports, webcam, HDMI, card-reader, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth, and 64GB SSD storage.
Lenovo says the IdeaPad Yoga 11's 4-cell battery is good enough for 13 hours of usage. The IdeaPad Yoga 11 is now available for Rs. 61,790.

sam4sammy :: Windows Phone 7.8 coming soon to Nokia Lumia 510, 610, 710, 800, 900

There's good news for owners of Nokia Lumia phones with Windows Phone 7.5. According to a report over at Nokia Power User (NPU), the update is now available at NaviFirm, indicating it should become officially soon enough.

Great news for those waiting for WP7.8 update for their Lumia 510, 610, 710, 800 and 900. The Firmware build 8858 appears now at NaviFirm for all the above devices and it is available for most of the European countries and APAC variants. So, pretty strong indication of near future roll out of the update for most of the devices.

If you are adventurous, you can download the update via NaviFirm, but we strongly recommend holding out until Nokia rolls out the update officially.
Windows Phone 7.8 is Microsoft's olive branch to existing Lumia users, having announced that they will not be eligible to receive the feature-rich Window Phone 8 update.
Microsoft finally shared some Windows Phone 7.8 details recently. The update will add new features like a new start screen UI with resizable live tiles, as found in Windows Phone 8. The update brings Windows Phone 8 branding to existing Lumia devices on the splash screen and icons for Games, Office and Windows Phone Store.
Windows Phone 7.8 doubles the number of theme and accent colours to 20 and adds other new lock screen features: the option to automatically display the Bing Picture of the Day plus the 'A1B2C3' PIN/password challenge to prevent accidental device wipes on phones connected to Exchange accounts.

Microsoft innovation centers to impact 500,000 Indian students

Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd. has launched the first of a planned 100 Microsoft Innovation Centers (MICs) that will impact the technology expertise of some 500,000 students.
The Indian centres, which will be at full strength in two years, "will impact over 500,000 students, certifying 100,000 students on Microsoft technologies", a Microsoft statement said.

"The program will also drive innovation and help build a product-based software economy by supporting product development, and over 500 start-ups.

"The MICs will act as innovation hubs at select colleges and technology institutes, providing incubation and expert hands-on support on Microsoft technology innovation, research, and software solutions, aiming to create a pool of student technology experts across India," the statement said.

Each MIC will function as a hub for five other neighboring colleges and will operate in a hub-spoke model driving employability, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the academic ecosystem around it.

Fourteen MICs have initially been launched by signing MoUs with leading academic institutions across four states. They will be located in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Khammam, Bapatla, Guntur, Tirupati, Raipur, Bhopal, Trichy, Vellore, Coimbatore, Madurai and Salem.

This is part of a worldwide programme that currently has 75 MICs.

Commenting on the launch of MICs in India, Joseph Landes, General Manager, DPE, Microsoft India, said they "are designed to offer a unique environment conducive for student entrepreneurship. As knowledge and innovation become primary catalysts for economic growth in India, the Microsoft Innovation Centers can play a vital role in generating powerful new ideas through training, education and knowledge transfer."

The MIC program, the statement said, "will act as the key driver of Microsoft's vision for developing new talent in India at the student level. Budding developers will be encouraged to innovate across key priority technology focus areas that are driving growth and change for the economy, namely Mobility (Windows Phone), Cloud (Windows Azure), Kinect, Accessibility, Healthcare and a wider ambit for solving problems with an India focus".

Expressing his vision for MICs at his institution, G. Viswanathan, founder and chancellor, VIT University, Vellore, said: "Innovation is an intrinsic part of the philosophy we live here at VIT University, which was established with the aim of providing quality higher education on par with international standards".

"Our students have been actively involved in the Imagine Cup another great program from Microsoft that fosters innovation among students to address key global challenges," Viswanathan added.

The MIC announcement comes days after the India launch of Microsoft's new global philanthropy initiative YouthSpark-aimed at addressing the opportunity divide faced by the young people of the world.

"In particular, MICs will play a crucial role in deepening the relationship between academia and industry, enhancing at a very basic level, employability and education, reducing the digital divide, support for innovation and driving sustainable socio-economic impact," the statement said.

Microsoft's #DroidRage Twitter campaign backfires, leads to #WindowsRage

Microsoft Windows Phone team kicked off a #DroidRage campaign on Twitter earlier this week encouraging users to share their stories related to malware on their Android smartphones. In return, Microsoft promised "get-well presents" to the best/ worst stories.

Windows Phone

• ✔

@windowsphone

Do you have an Android malware horror story? Reply with#DroidRage with your best/worst story and we may have a get-well present for you.

5 Dec 12

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While the campaign received some genuine responses, it wasn't long before it backfired on Microsoft, as people started sharing their horror stories related to Windows Phone, tagging them with #WindowsRage. Here are a couple:

Mohammad Tarakiyee@Tarakiyee

I once thought about writing malware for a @windowsphonebut then I thought, aren't they suffering enough?#DroidRage #WindowsRage

5 Dec 12

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Ollie Reardon@ojdon

You'll never get Malware from our Windows Store. You'll never find any third-party support either! #WindowsRage

6 Dec 12

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This is not the first time Microsoft has targeted Google, though this is likely the first time things have gone wrong so spectacularly for Redmond. Microsoft held the #DroidRage campaign last year as well, with not-so-embarrassing results.


More recently, Microsoft attacked Google in a series of TV ads, describing the dominant search engine as a lousy holiday shopping guide in its latest attempt to divert more traffic to its Bing search engine. To punctuate its point, Microsoft warned consumers that they risk getting "scroogled" if they rely on Google's shopping search service.

Earlier, Microsoft launched a campaign called "Bing It On", trying to show web users the quality of its Bing search engine is better than Google's. The software company unveiled the site "bingiton.com" where users input five search queries and the unbranded search results of Bing and Google were shown in two columns. For each query, users were asked to choose a winner (or a draw) and the test showed which search engine come on top in the end.

With agency inputs