You may have heard the rumors of Microsoft building their own phone. Many have dubbed it the “Surface Phone”, taken from the name of Microsoft’s soon to launch tablets. A... Does a Surface Phone make sense?

You may have heard the rumors of Microsoft building their own phone. Many have dubbed it the “Surface Phone”, taken from the name of Microsoft’s soon to launch tablets. A…
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Microsoft shovels money towards developers in hopes of more apps

By
Sasu Kemppainen
– April 11, 2012Posted in: News

Finally! More social networks!

It’s a well known fact that Windows Phone is behind its competitors when it comes to the amount of apps available on it. The New York Times reports that Microsoft has stepped in to help the situation by offering free phones and free advertisement as an incentive for developers to fill out the store. It has even financed porting of well-known mobile apps from different platforms.

While this plan does smell slightly desperate, it seems to be somewhat effective. Some developers welcome the extra funding with open arms, but others seem to put their priorities on more established platforms. At the moment, Microsoft has more than 70,000 apps in its store, still way behind the nearly 400,000 Android apps and more than 600,000 Apple apps.

Analysts say, however, that Microsoft is nearing the point where the numbers stop being important. They need all the popular apps of other platforms, and a few killer apps of their own. This new business strategy has bagged them a few well-known products, like the social networking site Foursquare.
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Sid Meier’s Pirates land on the Windows Phone

By
Sasu Kemppainen
– April 11, 2012Posted in: News

In hindsight, maybe they should've practised that doggy paddle.

A new Windows Phone 7 version of the classic Sid Meier’s Pirates! was released by 2K Games earlier this week. As expected, the game takes full advantage of the touch controls to spice up the familiar gameplay mechanics.

The strategy/action/adventure game was originally released in 1987 on Commodore 64. It was a groundbreaking success in open-ended gameplay, allowing players to act out their piratey fantasies in a lively open world. An enhanced remake, released in 2004 for the Xbox, is the basis for all later adaptations, such as the Windows Phone 7 version.

Sid Meier’s Pirates! is priced at $2.99 and there’s a trial version available. If you’re left hungry for more Sid Meier goodness, check out last week’s release Civilization Revolution. A word of warning, though: both games are confirmed to be potentially very, very addicting.

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Lumia 900 data problems officially confirmed by Nokia, with customer friendly consequences

By
Vlad Micu
– April 11, 2012Posted in: News

The Lumia 900 was off to a great start after its initial launch, but Nokia has recently acknowledged on their ‘Conversations by Nokia’-blog that some errors inside the device are present.

“In short, a memory management issue was discovered that could, in some cases, lead to loss of data connectivity. This issue is purely in the phone software, and is not related to either phone hardware or the network itself. As a proactive and prudent measure, we decided to take immediate action. We have identified the issue, and have developed a solution.”

The Nokia department was subsequently put into full-time spin mode to turn this event into a positive turn of events for Lumia 900 owners and potential buyers. The phone manufacturer now offers a new update that will resolve these issues on Monday April 16th or the option to swap your Lumia 900 for an updated device. But wait, there’s more.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. As a gesture of good will, every individual who has already purchased a Nokia Lumia 900 — or who will purchase one between now and April 21st – will receive a $100 credit to their AT&T bill from Nokia. “

Already considered a great budget option that balances Nokia’s expertise on mobile phones with smartphone tech running Windows Mobile, the Lumia 900 might have just become a better deal than it was before if purchased in the next 10 days for whoever actually still wants an AT&T contract nowadays. We’ll leave that decision up to you!

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Ms. Splosion Man ‘splodes on to the Windows ‘Splode… Phone…

By
Sasu Kemppainen
– April 10, 2012Posted in: Announced Releases, News

The Xbox 360 hit game Ms. Splosion Man has been announced to be ported on the Windows Phone. The developer Twisted Pixel has estimated for the port to be available this summer. The ‘splosive platformer will also see a release on iPhone, iPad, Games for Windows LIVE and Steam.

'Sploooosion!

'Splosion!

Ms. Splosion Man is a 2011 sequel to the also popular 2009 game ‘Splosion Man. Those familiar with the original version’s explosive action-platforming will have something new to look forward to with the mobile versions: Twisted Pixel revealed that the iPhone and iPad versions will use the platforms’ unique features to add new kind of control and other gameplay features. They didn’t specifically mention the Windows Phone version, but there’s no reason to believe it will be very different from the other mobile versions.

This will be Twisted Pixel’s first mobile game and they’ll be teaming up with Iron Galaxy, Fire Hose and Panic Button studios for this project. Hopefully, they can preserve the feeling of the original game and make this one of the best games on Windows Phone! It definitely has the potential.

For a sneak peek, you can check out this rather silly announcement trailer.

 

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Cool tech: a self-healing screen protector

By
Sasu Kemppainen
– April 10, 2012Posted in: Announced Releases, News

The film attached to a mockup device

A company called Toray Advanced Film is about to make scratches a thing of the past. The technicians of the Japanese company have developed a special kind of self-repairing film. Being able to fix scratches in 10 seconds or less (or so they claim) is definitely an edge over other similar tech. It simply feels that much more like it’s straight out of a scifi novel.

The film can erase scratches about 20.000 times in succession, according to Toray, but it cannot fix straight up puncturing of the film. It also works faster in lower temperatures so the more accident-prone users may find new homes for their phones in their fridges.

This wonder film is already being sold for some notebooks in Japan. We’ll see about the price point when the tech arrives to the rest of the world. Surely some people are ready to pay a bit more for that wonderful scifi-factor.

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Dell no longer selling smartphones in the US

By
Sasu Kemppainen
– April 10, 2012Posted in: News
Bye.

Bye bye Dell Venue, Lightning, Thunder, Flash And Smoke

Dell has recently announced that is looking to change its mobile strategy by shifting away from smartphone development, PCWorld reports. The short lifecycles of smartphones and harsh competition on the market are apparently some of the reasons they want to concentrate more on their higher-margin merchandise. More mobile products will still be introduced in the US later this year, but Dell did not confirm if smartphones are among them. Our intuition here at Winmobilefans says ”maybe”.

If you really need to have a Venue Pro, then India is the place to be. It’s the one country where Dell is still actively selling its Windows Phone equipped hardware. Otherwise, just enjoy Windows Phone on non-Dell hardware for now.

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Windows Phone goodness from the Global Game Jam 2012

By
Vlad Micu
– March 28, 2012Posted in: News

Samuel L. Jackson showing off his mad skills

Whoever might not have heard about the Global Game Jam yet, has been missing out on something beautiful. The Global Game Jam is an international game jam where game developers from all over the world take on the challenge to create a videogame within 48 hours. With the event growing each year, this year’s addition resulted in 2,209 game projects being made. And lucky for us, 96 of those games are actually made for Windows Mobile and are all free to play!

One of our staff favorites is Samuel L. Jackson’s Super Sledding ’86, and made by students from the university of Tampere, Finland. Read the rest for a picture of the development team and their exclusive trailer!
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Kinectimals (WP7) Review

By
Doug
– December 2, 2011Posted in: LIVE Game Reviews, Reviews

Kinectimals

 

Game: Kinectimals

Developer: Microsoft Studios

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Price: $ 2.99 USD

Release Date: October 21st, 2011

Kinectimals is Developed by Microsoft Studios and was released on the LIVE Marketplace on October 21st, 2011 for $2.99.

Kinectimals many may know is a game that was launched with the Kinect over a year ago and recently came out with an upgraded version on the Xbox 360 titled “Kinectimals Now with Bears”. The basic premise of the game bot hon the Xbox 360 and the Windows Phone version is that you have a pet cat, whether that be a black panther, bengal tiger, ect. You are responsible for playing with your cub, caring for it, and performing different challenges with your pet. The key thing to highlight is it is cross compatible with the Xbox 360 version and you can unlock and transfer over your new pets to the Xbox 360.

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What’s coming up for Halo Waypoint?

By
Doug
– December 2, 2011Posted in: News

Halo Waypoint continues to improve and add new features as this month will see one new addition.

 

This month we see the addition of “RvB MIA” which is an exclusive new series by Rooster Teeth in commemoration of Halo: Anniversary.

Other than that, the news is pretty slim. Remember that Halo Waypoint is available as a free download on your phone through the game hub. It includes real-time listings of your friends/messages, your Halo: Reach service record, game history, and various other videos and goodies for you to sift through.

 

Enjoy!

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Bubblebreak Review

By
Doug
– November 4, 2011Posted in: Indie Game Reviews, Reviews

This is the tile art for Bubblebreak!

Bubblebreak

Game: Bubblebreak

Developer: Sunbow Games

Publisher: Sunbow Games

Price: 1.29 EUR / $ 1.29 USD

Release Date: November 4th, 2011

Bubblebreak is developed by Sunbow Games, and will be released on Windows Phone 7 devices on November 4th, 2011 for 1.29 EUR / $ 1.79 USD. This game is an indie game available through the marketplace (here).

Bubblebreak is a new indie game that boasts stunning graphics, good music, leaderboards, in-game achievements, and an extensive tutorial to get you started. The basic premise is all about matching colored bubbles on a map in order to advance to the next level. To complete a level you are required to destroy the existing bubbles in the center with the bubbles you are given on the perimeter. You can destroy the bubbles by utilizing a moveable bar around the perimeter of the circle and shooting the bubbles into their matching colors in the middle. It isn’t as easy as it sounds though because you need chains of 3 bubbles to destroy them and the color wheel on the perimeter is constantly moving, creating a challenge. Once a chain has been broken, the bubbles release with what appears to be a “ghost” bubble and when rallied off of your bar, will take on the color of your bar and go in the direction you aim it. There is a magnet in the center of the map holding the bubbles in place and the easiest way to advance and destroy all bubbles is to hit the magnets with a bubble to break it and the bubbles attached to it. By utilizing the color wheel on the perimeter and collecting special powerups (by destroying bubble chains) you can advance through the different levels. Once you cease to break all the bubbles with the limited amount of bubbles you have, the game is over and you enter your name on the leaderboards.

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