Shoot 1UP, by Mommys Best, was introduced as a game that could challenge the limits of the Windows Phone platform two years ago and just recently made its debut on the marketplace. The game has been on the Xbox Live Indie Game Channel since 2010 for 80 Microsoft Points ($1).
You can purchase Shoot 1UP for the phone for $2.99 here or by scanning the tag below.
In February 2011 a partnership between Microsoft and Nokia promised the Finnish mobile manufacturer would make Windows Phone their primary operating system for its smartphone devices. The combination of know-how between the software giant and leading mobile handset manufacture set some high expectations.
The following year saw the introduction of the Nokia Lumia handset line in various model iterations. In April 2012, the latest Lumia 900 handset was released and promised to the be the flagship Windows Phone. This model featured AT&T’s LTE speeds, quality build in a simple interface and a much-touted Carl Zeiss camera lens. We took a closer look at the Lumia 900 in a variety of areas to determine if Nokia’s flagship smartphone lives up to its hype.
Nokia posted an infographic today titled, THE NOKIA EVOLUTION: 1984 TO TOMORROW.
In it, there is an illustrated timeline of some of Nokia’s technological milestones, as well as key innovations.
The last innovation listed is “Introduces Flexible Devices”, with the technology listed as “Flexible.” This flexible technology is likely the same technology that was introduced to us at Nokia World 2011 as “Kinetic.”
Up until now, flexible screens have been an interesting R&D project. We’ve seen prototypes, but many believed that we were still several years away from seeing a product based on this technology. This appears to be the first solid statement that it is intended as their next major product feature.
Can we expect to see this as early as 2013?
Source (Nokia US)
Microsoft announced today that they will be changing their company logo. This is the first change of the Microsoft logo in 25 years.
This news comes just weeks after Microsoft announced that they would not change their logo.
Back on June 18th, Paul Thurrott noticed something different about Microsoft’s logo during announcement of the Surface tablet. He posted an article containing some photos, not only of the Surface tablet, but also what he claimed was the new Micosoft logo.
Back on August 2nd, some images of Microsoft’s packaging for upcoming accessories, such as the Wedge Touch Mouse and the Wedge Mobile Keyboard, were spotted with packaging including the Microsoft logo in Segoe type.
However, rumors of a logo change started to die down when Microsoft released this statement.
“This is not a new logo. Segoe is the font that we use in many of our product experiences and marketing materials. You will see the word Microsoft showing up from time to time in the Segoe typeface, which reflects the look and feel of the new experiences we are creating. We’ll also continue to use the traditional Microsoft logotype.”
Today’s events seem to contradict the earlier statement by Microsoft.
What do you think of Microsoft’s new logo?
(Source: Microsoft)
Have you wanted to create an app for Windows Phone, but have been held back by concerns about making money?
While nobody can guarantee that the work you put into creating an application will end up paying off, there are some things that you can do to stack the chips in your favor. Thankfully, Michael Stroh, Senior Writer at Microsoft, is prepared to help by breaking down ten secrets to making money with your app. Read the rest of this entry »
Today Microsoft, and Nokia have delivered invitations for the media, for a press conference scheduled to take place on September 5th in New York City. The event will be focused on the unveiling of new Nokia branded Windows Phone 8 devices. Although no details were given, it’s likely we will be seeing a brand new line of Lumia devices. Time will tell what this event will bring, and Nokia picked an interesting time frame, being a week ahead of the rumored iPhone 5 unveiling. Hopefully Nokia and Microsoft will be able to steal some of its thunder by striking first.
From WPCentral
Some of you may have noticed a problem with downloading or updating apps this week. Luckily, Microsoft is on the case!
The issue has to do with digital certificates used to sign apps. The problem only seems to affect phones that were upgraded to 7.5 from an earlier version and only a small percentage of new or recently updated apps on the Marketplace are refusing to install or update. It is completely on Microsoft’s side and they’re already working on sending out a fix.
Developers may also notice the app submitting process taking a long time. Microsoft is holding all app certificates until the problem is taken care of.
If you have any of these problems, just be patient and don’t uninstall any important apps until the issue is fixed.
Source: Windows Phone Blog, WPCentral
The Windows Phone Dev Center for developers of the phone was unveiled last week. The Dev Center was designed to make life easier for current and potential developers.
According to a Windows blog post by Ash Wahi, program manager for the Dev Center, the new Dev Center is the successor to the retired App Hub developer portal. The new Center is “designed to provide everything you need to build, publish and manage apps for Windows Phone around the world,” he said in the post.
The new Center includes several new features and developments, including being completely redesigned with publishing apps in mind. According to Wahi, the center opens up many more markets and avenues of getting paid than were previously available, including Paypal support. Developers can also set unique price points in each region and country an app is available.
The Dev Center also added an improved account sign-up and submission process, as well as a better integration of Microsoft Advertising’s pubCenter. This allows users to create a pubCenter account and ad units in the same space the apps are managed. The Center also has a better analytics tool for tracking app downloads and performance.
The new Center can now be used on Windows 7.5, or earlier, apps.
Source: Windows Blog
Earlier today Microsoft opened registration for Build 2012, a yearly conference where Microsoft helps teach developers how to make great apps. The conference was sold out in under an hour. Along with the registration, Microsoft snuck in the brand new logo for Windows Phone 8. Microsoft is keeping Windows Phone the red color, while Windows 8 is blue, Xbox is green, and Office is orange. To no surprise, the logo is very similar to the Windows 8 logo. It’s really refreshing to see Microsoft rebranding the entire ecosystem, with consistency.
So what do you think about the new logo? Are you enjoying Microsoft’s new style? Let us know in the comments.
Nokia is apparently going to announce its new Windows Phone 8 based handsets at their Nokia World-event, taking place in September 5th-6th. The plan seems to be to get the phones for sale before the year-end holiday shopping season.
While this all sounds very likely, the information comes from an unidentified “person with knowledge on the matter.” Nokia officials themselves have declined any comment on this announcement.
Source: Bloomberg
