Nokia Drive 3.0 now available for all Lumia devices

Nokia has updated their highly popular Navigation service Nokia Drive,The Nokia Drive service offers offline Satellite navigation across various regions in the world. The service is free for all Lumia users and will be a part of Windows Phone 8`s core navigation services for all Windows Phone 8 device

The Nokia Commute service will be US only initially ,While the other additions will be made globally .

The features like day and night mode switching is comming to the app along with more feature rich Live Tiles. These live tiles will be updated with the new Start Screen of Windows 7.8

Nokia Lumia to be available in Pink starting July 15

Nokia have unveiled a new colour for their latest Windows Phone flagship Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T `s LTE network which offers massive internet speeds of over 40Mbps.

Sadly the device wont be getting some Windows Phone 8 love but the device will be geeting Windows Phone 7.8 which brings the all new revamped start screen to the Phone

Samsung Omnia W gets Windows Phone Tango update

In the series of updates in the Windows Phone OS devices following the Lumia devices and the Dell Venue Pro The Korean mobile giant`s Omnia W has received the tango update.

Windows Phone Tango brings enhanced multitasking according to which 8 Apps can be run at the same time . The update for Omnia W does not bring WiFi Sharing unlike the Lumia devices but it adds features like adding media files in MMS and exporting and importing contacts to and from the Phone


You must have got the notification if you have been using a Omnia W device but if not check the Zune software to update it

Dell Venue Pro get Windows Phone Tango update

A series of updates have started flowing after the Lumia devices got a tango update .The Dell venue Pro follows Suit which was one of the forst devices having Windows Phone 7,The device has been discontinued and quite a less number of people still have this device as it one of the devices still having a physical keyboard with Windows Phone 7.


A device owner in Germany has got the update and others should follow soon you can read more about Windows Phone Tango here

Nokia Lumia devices to get Tango update on 27th June

Nokia has just announced that it will be releasing the Tango update for its Lumia series of devices on 27th June ,This report brings the much missed WiFi Tethering to the devices.

The update brings media sharing from the phone via the ‘Play To’ app and also accelerometer based function like Flip to silent The devices will also recive a Windows Phone 7.8 Update which brings the new Start screen as in Windows Phone 8 to the devices

Microsoft to reveal Windows Phone Apollo on 20 June

Microsoft has started sending invitations to some blogs about an upcoming event in San Francisco .The event is titled Windows Phone Summit and the invitation says 

“a sneak peak of the future of Windows Phone”

The invitaion sent by Microsoft

We already told you that microsoft will be unveiling the next version of its Mobile operating system in June but now we have all the details with us. We may expect Multi-core processors support with many more resoultions



The Main features of Windows Phone Apollo will be

• Support for multicore processors
• Support for new screen resolutions
• Expandable memory support via microSD card
• Transition to desktop kernel
• Desktop apps on mobile
• Richer version of ActiveSync
• Deep Skydrive support
• Revamped Skype client

Microsoft may reveal Windows Phone 8 in June

Microsoft may unveil its latest version of Mobile operating system "Codename Windows Phone Apollo" in June. 
As we all know June is the month of all technical announcements The events like Apple WWDC and Google`s I/O will also be held in June .So its`s the right for Microsoft to raise the curtains about its new version of Operating system Windows Phone 8


The Main features of Windows Phone Apollo will be

• Support for multicore processors
• Support for new screen resolutions
• Expandable memory support via microSD card
• Transition to desktop kernel
• Desktop apps on mobile
• Richer version of ActiveSync
• Deep Skydrive support
• Revamped Skype client
• Enable third parties  to add  features to camera interface
• Data smart feature-to track Data Usage
• Proxy server- to feed pages to Internet Explorer 10.
• Support for custom built apps to be deployed behind company firewalls.

Samsung Omnia M Windows Phone announced

Samsung mobiles have announced Samsung Omnia M their latest Windows  Phone offering. The Phone features Windows phone Mango operating system.The phone features 4.0 Inch Super AMOLED display and a 1 Ghz processor with 384 MB of RAM but that should not create much problems with the Tango uppgrade coming any time soon which brings down the hardware requirements of Windows Phone devices


Key specifications are

• 1Ghz processor
• 384 MB RAM
• 4.0 Inch Super AMOLED display
• 5 MP autofocus camera with flash
• VGA front facing camera
• Windows phone Mango OS
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• FM radio with RDS
• A-GPS ,Bluetooth v2.1,WiFi
• 1500 mAh Li-ion battery

Samsung Omnia M will have added Samsung apps like allshare which lets you stream content over your Samsung SmartTv. and Samsung ChatON cross platform messenger for Samsung devices it also has Samsung cloud based Family network and Windows Phone People Hub that unites various social networks like Facebook,Twitter,Windows Live and LinkedIn


Price and availability are not announced yet but we will keep you informed
UPDATE - The phone is available all over India for Rs 15,000 and has also received  the Tango update

Nokia Lumia 610 starts rolling out in Asia

Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia’s affordable Windows Phone device is finally on sale in Asia starting from Philippines. The Lumia 610 was announced at the MWC 2012 and packs in 3.7-inch LCD Display and is powered by 800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor.


It runs on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS and has 5MP camera with LED flash, 256MB RAM, 8GB internal memory, FM Radio and 1300 mAh battery.and als has WiFi Sharing feature 



The Nokia Lumia 610 is now available in black, cyan, magenta and white colors in select Nokia Stores and retail outlets in Philippines for 11,000 Philippine Pesos (~ US$ 259).


It  would go on sale in other parts of Asia including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam in the coming weeks. India is not in the list but it is expected to be available within this quarter


Via -The Nokia Blog

Skype for Windows Phone graduates from Beta ,Now available for Download

Skype has finally arrived for the Windows Phone devices at the Windows Phone Marketplace. Skype launched the beta version of the app at the Mobile World Congress earlier this February.  The Skype app lets you make free audio and video calls to your Skype contacts over 3G and 4G or Wi-Fi. It also supports group chats, and you can also update your profile and account information.


In addition to the existing features, new features including, video calling in portrait mode and friend management capabilities including invite, accept invitations, block, and unblock contacts are also available in the latest version of the app and it now supports Nokia Lumia 900.

Download Skype for Windows Phone from the Windows Phone Marketplace for free.

Nokia Lumia 900 costs just $209 to produce

The materials for Nokia’s flagship and blockbuster Lumia 900 cost $209, according to iSuppli’s preliminary teardown assessment.

That, iSuppli reckons, is a result of the Lumia 900′s cost-reduced design and the close cooperation between Microsoft, Qualcomm and Nokia, which mimics Apple’s approach to device development.



Including the manufacturing cost, the Lumia 900′s total cost rises to $217. This is a significantly lower than the $243.50 that the similarly-spec’d Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket costs to make.


And if you take the retail price of the Lumia 900, which as of April 2012 is $450, Nokia and Microsoft earn $233 for of each Lumia 900 sold. Of course, this doesn’t include additional expenses like software, royalties, licensing, taxes etc

Nokia admits Lumia 900 connectivity bug offers $100 free credit

Nokia has confirmed a software issue in the Lumia 900 that results in loss of data connectivity for the AT&T customers. Nokia says this is due to memory management issue that would be fixed by a software update and not due to a the phone hardware or the network.

Nokia announced the Lumia 900 with 4G LTE support at CES 2012 in January and began selling it in the U.S. for AT&T on April 8th for $99.99. They would offer a firmware update on April 16th to fix the bug or customers can get their phone replaced for an updated Lumia 900.

They would also offer $100 credit on AT&T bill for those who buys the phone between now and April 21st. The Nokia Lumia 900 is now on pre-order in UK that would go on sale soon.

AT&T to launch Nokia Lumia 900 at $99.99 on a two year contract

AT&T and Nokia has announced that Nokia Lumia 900 would be available exclusively in the U.S. from them on April 8 for $99.99. Nokia and AT&T  announced the Lumia 900 with AT&T’s 4G LTE support at CES 2012 in January. The Nokia Lumia 900 has 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display and is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm  Snapdragon S2 processor. It has 8 MP camera on the back with Nokia’s Carl Zeiss optics and a front-facing camera which was missing in the 800. It runs on Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) and has 1830 mAh battery.



The AT&T U-verse Mobile lets U-verse TV subscribers browse the U-verse TV program guide, schedule and manage their DVR recordings, and watch hit TV shows while on the go. It has pre-loaded ESPN sports hub app and Nokia Drive that is downloadable from Windows Phone Marketplace.


At&T customers can pre-order it in cyan or black beginning March 30 online or at any AT&T company-owned retail store. The Nokia Lumia 900 would be available on April 8 for $99.99 and requires a new 2-yr wireless agreement with voice (min $39.99/mo) and minimum monthly data plan ($20/mo).


The Nokia Purity HD On Ear Stereo Headset by Monster would be available separately from AT&T beginning April 8 and the White Lumia 900 would go on sale on April 22.

Microsoft reported cheating,Smoke the windows phone contest

You may have heard about the Smoked by Windows Phone competition by now. In these events, a Windows Phone device is pitted against any other smartphone and both are made to do a simple task, with the winner being the one who completes it first. The task is usually something as simple as taking a picture and uploading it to Facebook or finding directions to a place. But as it turns out, this challenge is not as fair as Microsoft makes it out to be, as Sahas Katta of Skatter Tech found out the hard way.
Katta was in a Microsoft store where he wanted to take part in the competition. He was armed with his new Galaxy Nexus. The challenge given to him was to bring up the weather of two different cities as quickly as possible.




Luckily for Katta, he had set up the weather for two cities on his homescreens using widgets and he had also disabled the lockscreen on his phone, a feature found on Android 4.0. Because of this, he could get to his homescreen from sleep mode with just one click of the power button. As you can tell, he was going to win even before the competition started, because no matter how quick Windows Phone is, you’d require at least two interactions (press power button, slide lock screen) to get to the homescreen.


That’s basically what happened when the competition started, with Katta managing to finish before his opponent, who also happened to have the weather for two cities on the homescreen (more on this later). But as it turns out, the winner was actually declared to be the Windows Phone? Why? “Just because”.


That’s just one of the vague replies that Katta got when he asked the people in the Microsoft store for answers. Eventually he had to leave because clearly no one there was in a mood to declare him the winner and give him the prize, a $1,000 special edition laptop.


As you can see, these competitions may not be as clean as the Microsoft’s official videos make them out to be. Other than the fact that the people in the store refused to acknowledge Katta as the winner, they also played dirty by having the weather widgets of the two cities right on the homescreen even before the competition started. That’s not how Windows Phone comes out of the box. Microsoft had set up their phone to a favorable state before the competition, which is basically cheating. Had Katta not had the weather widgets on his phone (which is fine because he actually uses that phone and wasn’t aware of the challenge until he was told about it), he would have taken much longer to bring the weather up. Not that it matters because they declared him the loser anyway.


Of course, this is not to say that all the Smoked by Windows Phone competitions are bogus or that Windows Phone isn’t good at doing some tasks faster than its rivals (it is). But this example here proves that we need to take these things with a heavy dose of Sodium Chloride.


Update: Ben Rudolph, the person who usually takes part in these competitions on behalf of Microsoft, has apologized for what happened to Katta and offered to do a rematch on a random challenge. To be honest, the better thing to do would be just give the guy the prize he won fair and square.

@BenThePCGuy

@sahaskatta @skattertech @mattlynley @joshuatopolsky Just saw this.Sorry about the hassle…come back for a rematch on a random challenge!

26 Mar 12

Nokia Play To- DLNA Streaming app for Lumia phones enters Nokia Beta Labs

If you like being a guinea pig and you’re a fan of Nokia, there’s every chance you’ve already signed up to Nokia’s Beta Labs and the latest app to enter this unique testing area is Nokia Play To, which is hoping to make it as the native DLNA client that’ll grace the Lumia Windows Phone family.

The Play To app already offers the ability to throw pictures, movies and music onto various connected devices around the home, with plans for Media Server support in the near future adding Xbox 360 and PS3 friendly functionality in due time.



Along with the current lack of Media Server support, Sony BRAVIA internet-connected TVs don’t appear to play ball with Play To either and high resolution videos are said to stutter in the current incarnation of the app. These flaws are expected however as it’s not called Beta Labs for nothing.


DLNA technology is nothing new of course, but as with similar services seen from the likes of HTC in the form of Media Link, Nokia know that it’s an increasingly popular piece of functionality on modern smartphones, and one which they would be foolish to overlook. Nokia are saying that console support is next on the agenda and with such an addition, popularity is like to grow at an ever-quickening pace.


You’d think Microsoft would have been the ones to push this functionality to market first, but Nokia have beaten them to it by the looks of it, adding yet another string to their Windows Phone bow in the process.


Follow this link if you’re a registered Beta Labs user itching to add your input to the process or to sign up and get involved.

Nokia Drive update brings Offline navigation to Lumia series of smartphones

Nokia has released new Drive 2.0 update with new full Offline Navigation feature for the Lumia series smartphones.

Nokia has released new Drive 2.0 version for the Lumia smartphones running Windows Phone operating system. The Drive 2.0 is a navigation app developed by Nokia that gives turn-by-turn based navigation service. With the first major update, Nokia offers full offline experience for the users.

Nokia Drive is quite a popular feature amongst the frequent travelers who prefer to use car as mode of transport. The Drive offers turn-by-turn based navigation for the frequent travelers to reach to their destination at ease and with proper guidance.

New Drive 2.0 app features full offline navigation which includes complete route planning in offline mode. Also if you have to re-route, then there is no need to go online. Full offline operation will certainly help many users save quite a lot of important bucks while on roaming. Best part is that the Nokia Drive will work even when the cellular network is low or none at all.

Redesigned navigation dashboard now offers more information useful to everyone such as the speed limit signals so that one doesn't break any traffic rules accidentally. Approximate time of arrival and time to travel the distance is shown to give a fair idea of the route.

To use the Nokia Drive 2.0 in offline mode and more locally, users need to download the map of the respective country. With bigger icons and more information such as speed limits and time, the Nokia Drive is certainly useful for anyone.

Get the Nokia Drive 2.0 App update from the Marketplace for Windows Phone devices and it is available only for Nokia Lumia device

Windows phone Tango update to extend App multitasking limit to 8 Apps

Microsoft has been trying to put across the point that the Tango update will be fairly minor and aims to bring down the requirement levels to be
able to launch lower end hardware without compromising the experience. What it hasn’t told anyone is that due to the reduced hardware requirements , current hardware will be able to perform better. Keeping this in mind , Microsoft has increased the limit for apps allowed to multitask to 8.
Developers over at XDA have flashed an HD7 with a leaked Tango ROM which has revealed some interesting tid bits the biggest being the one mentioned above. The upcoming update also increases support for a massive amount of new languages to target new markets. We’re quite excited about the upcoming Tango update which should tide us over while we wait impatiently for Windows Phone 8 !

Nokia lumia 900 has camera and sound improvements over lumia 800

A Q&A posted on Nokia Connects answers a lot of interesting questions about the Nokia Lumia lineup. The Nokia Lumia 900, for example, will launch with improvements to the camera and sound systems, which will trickle down to the Lumia 800.

Nokia claim they've optimized focus and color balance on the Nokia Lumia 900 compared to what we saw on the 800, but since the two use the same camera module, the improvements will be made available to the Lumia 800 as well. They will possibly be a part of the major camera update that brings the native panorama app.

The Nokia WP7 top dog also features improved audio as a result of hardware and software changes. The software side of things will be made available to the Lumia 800 too.

There were plenty of questions about connectivity - tethering, for example, will be available on the Lumia 610 and 900 at launch and come as an update to the 710 and 800.

The Lumia phones don't have penta-band 3G (like Nokia's Symbian, uh, "Nokia OS" phones). An AT&T Lumia 900 will work in Europe though.

The dual HSPA+ on the Lumia 900 shouldn't affect the battery life as the 900's battery is "optimised for HSPA+ and LTE" whatever that means.

One thing the Lumia 900 has that its smaller sibling, the 800, won't get is GLONASS support, which often improves accuracy of the positioning services.

Nokia are aware of some of the limited customization options of the Windows Phone platform and are working with Microsoft to fix them.

There no plans for supporting Lumia phones in the Nokia Suite software, however, Zune works just fine they say.

You can read the full Q&A for some more info about the Lumia 900 here.