-
Recently Browsing 0 members
No registered users viewing this page.
-
Similar Content
-
By gcaw
Discuss: Which is the best Windows phone ever?
by Andy Weir
Yesterday, Microsoft officially ended its mainstream support for Windows Phone 8.1, the version of its mobile OS that it launched back in April 2014. At the time of its launch, it was quite a big deal, bringing in a huge range of exciting features, including a new notification center, an overhauled app store, better multitasking, enhanced management features for business, the well-liked Word Flow keyboard, and Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana.
By the second half of 2014, dozens of hardware partners had signed up to produce Windows Phones, and the future was suddenly looking rather bright for the platform. But as we discussed in our in-depth feature on Microsoft's mobile efforts last year, it was still too little too late. As its biggest rivals pushed ahead with exciting OS updates running on cutting edge devices with the latest hardware, Windows Phones were still playing catch up, and the OS continued to dwindle in popularity.
After Microsoft launched Windows 10 Mobile in 2015, the OS still lacked all sorts of features, and as with previous generations of its mobile platform, the company took far too long to make the improvements and additions that were needed. Unsurprisingly, only a handful of manufacturers released Windows 10 Mobile devices, and those that did struggled to get their handsets noticed in a world dominated by Android and iOS.
A question mark continues to hang over the future of Windows 10 Mobile. Vanishingly few devices are now available to buy with Microsoft's OS, and only 13 handsets officially support it now. For fans of the platform, the long slow demise of Windows phones is a sad end to a story that began in 2010, when Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 (Series), a beautiful new OS that some optimistically believed would become a bigger success than the iPhone.
But while those dreams have since been shattered, many still have fond memories of some of the devices that ran the mobile OS. Indeed, some of those Windows phones were really rather good.
As another chapter ends in Microsoft's troubled mobile story, it seems like a good time to look back on some of those devices and remember the good times. From the spectacular Lumia 1020, with its 41-megapixel camera, to the blindingly colorful Fujitsu-Toshiba IS12T, and the stylish HTC One M8 for Windows, there have been some very impressive Windows phones over the years.
But which Windows phone was the best? And why? Whether your rose-tinted gaze is firmly fixed on the earliest Lumias, or you think the newer Windows 10 Mobile devices are the cream of the crop, we're eager to hear your opinions on the best Windows handset ever. Share your thoughts in the comments below!
-
By Sszecret
Cancelled Windows Phone 7 handset from Nokia appears in photos, has physical keyboard
by Florin Bodnarescu
On the subject of Nokia's Windows Phone stint, many things have surfaced, some of which after the Microsoft acquisition in 2014. Both prototypes sporting slim bezels, as well as others running Android - which would later become the Nokia X family - were leaked online. Now, it looks like yet another prototype device has made its way onto the internet.
According to Windows Latest, images leaked on Baidu Tieba - a communication platform offered by the Chinese search engine - reveal a 2012-era cancelled Nokia prototype. Although it doesn't have an official name, the type is listed as "Nokia RX-100", so we will refer to it that way.
What makes the RX-100 particularly interesting is the presence of a physical keyboard, very much similar to what BlackBerry devices offer. Yes, the RX-100 wouldn't be the only device in the Windows Phone 7 lineup to have such functionality - being in fact preceded by the Dell Venue Pro - but it did have the Nokia name and experience behind it.
That said, the unit seems to not have the same sleek looks of the Lumia 800 or later devices, as its thick bezels and profile make it look more akin to Nokia's feature phone line. It looks like it's running a Developer Preview version of Windows Phone 7 - possibly what was to replace Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.
From the self-test screen, the OS build it's running is revealed to have been created on March 9, 2012. The device also has support for microSD expansion, as well as a main camera using a sensor made by Toshiba, the Toshiba Lada TCM8615MD. No other information regarding the specifications of the RX-100 has been revealed.
Be sure to check out the gallery and sound off in the comments below.
Source: Baidu Tieba via Windows Latest | Images: Windows Latest
-
By +MJK
AT&T to also offer unlimited data plan, starting at $100 per month
by Muhammad Jarir Kanji
This week has seen the reintroduction of unlimited data plans by almost all the major carriers in the US, with the last remaining player now joining the party. AT&T, which did offer an unlimited plan exclusively to DirecTV customers previously, has now expanded its availability to all customers.
Starting tomorrow, all AT&T customers will be able to migrate to an unlimited data plan that starts at $100 a month for the first line. Adding another line will cost an extra $40 until the fourth line, which will be free. In comparison, Sprint's offer costs only $65, while T-Mobile's One plan and Verizon's plan have price tags of $70 and $85 (including taxes), respectively.
Included in the plan are unlimited data, calls, texting, and HD Video (this will, however, require turning off Stream Saver, which AT&T turns on by default). There is still a cap of 22GB per month, like other carriers, after which your connection will not be throttled but will instead be deprioritised in case of excessive traffic in your general vicinity.
Alongside being the most expensive of all the plans offered, AT&T's offering also lacks one key feature offered by its competitors: tethering. While all the other carriers offer up to 10GB of data via LTE tethering, AT&T offers none.
Source: PR Newswire via Engadget
-
By zikalify
Windows Phone 7, Android 2.2, iOS 6 users lose access to WhatsApp
by Paul Hill
WhatsApp has now stopped working on several older mobile platforms including Windows Phone 7, Android 2.1, 2.2, and iOS 6. The action was announced near the beginning of last year but the plans to drop support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40 and Nokia Symbian S60 have been pushed back to June 30, 2017.
In the statement issued last year, WhatsApp wrote:
The discontinuation of WhatsApp is significant mainly because the messenger is the most used in the world today, touting over 1 billion users as of February last year. There are approximately 1.4 million Android 2.2 devices according to Google’s own figures; with WhatsApp closing the door on this version, a significant number of users will be affected.
The trade-off for WhatsApp ending support for thousands of users will be more new features that older platforms were simply incapable of supporting. With so many alternative messenger apps, WhatsApp will need the ability to add new features regularly as to keep in step with the likes of Telegram messenger which is very aggressive when it comes to implementing new capabilities.
Source: WhatsApp
-
By gcaw
WhatsApp has a change of heart, extends support for Nokia and BlackBerry devices
by Andy Weir
Earlier this year, WhatsApp announced the end of its support for a range of older platforms, and older versions of existing operating systems. Among those facing the chop "by the end of 2016" were many BlackBerry and Nokia devices.
But the company has now had a change of heart, announcing that it's extending support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia Series 40 and Symbian Series 60 until June 30, 2017.
It's not clear what prompted the decision to continue supporting these platforms beyond the end of this year, as the company had previously advised owners of those devices to upgrade to newer ones in order to continue using its app.
However, WhatsApp isn't being so generous when it comes to the other platforms facing the chop. Devices running Windows Phone 7.x and Android 2.1 Eclair/2.2 Froyo, as well as the iPhone 3GS/iOS 6, will still lose WhatsApp support at the end of this month. In February, the company explained that "while these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future."
Of course, that same explanation also applied to the other platforms on its kill-list - so while Nokia and BlackBerry devices will now get an extra six months of service, it seems unlikely that WhatsApp will extend its support for those operating systems again.
Source: WhatsApp via The Independent
-
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now