Microsoft Provides a Few More Details About the Lumia App Changes on Windows Phone

Microsoft provided a few more details about the transition, including some pending changes. Where did Microsoft communicate this information? At the Nokia Conversations blog, of course. Speaking of things that need to be transitioned.

"In line with our recent branding changes, it's only natural that our exclusive Lumia apps follow suit," Microsoft's (or Nokia's) Adam Fraser writes.

Fraser explains that Microsoft previously transitioned Lumia Creative Studio, Lumia Panorama, Lumia Storyteller and Lumia Cinemagraph to Lumia branding. And that with this week's change, Nokia Camera has become Lumia Camera. He also confirms that beyond the naming, these apps are indeed
"still pretty much the same." That is, there are no functional updates.

But there are more updates to these apps coming soon. These include:

Lumia Camera is getting an interesting update in the near future, though these changes will only impact users with a Lumia 830, Lumia 930, Lumia 1520, or Lumia Icon with the Lumia Denim Update. (The 830 ships with this update, but it will be a while before it appears on those other devices.) New features will include much better performance, Motion Capture with 4K/24fps video recording, and Rich Capture with Auto HDR and Dynamic Flash.

Lumia Cinemagraph will get a future update that includes simpler and quicker sharing, first through a new Lumia Cinemagraph Beta app. And you will be able to share these memories on OneDrive, or Facebook and other "favorite social networks" instead of memories.nokia.com. (And if you're already using memories.nokia.com, you'll need to move those cinemagraphs to another service as that site is going away as of January 2015.)

By the way, one issue Microsoft has not addressed is whether it plans to deliver these Lumia branded apps on all Windows Phone handsets. My guess is no: This post refers to them as "exclusive Lumia apps" and this seems like a change Microsoft would want to highlight if it were happening. On that note, let me cast my vote for opening them up, at least the ones that would work consistently on other phones: Not doing so essentially punishes customers for choosing non-Microsoft Windows Phone handsets, which makes no sense at all.

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Nokia Lumia 635 Windows Phone 8.1, quad-core LTE smartphone hits Cricket Wireless on Nov. 7

Cricket Wireless is expanding its portfolio with the addition of the 4G LTE-enabled Nokia Lumia 635, launching the smartphone on Nov. 7.

The Nokia Lumia 635 is expected to be one of the most popular Windows Phone devices on the market, as it comes with good specs and features, an affordable price tag, and the latest version of Microsoft's mobile operating system. The handset has already enjoyed great popularity since its launch, and wider availability should only boost its success.

Starting on Friday, Nov. 7, the Nokia Lumia 635 will be available for purchase from Cricket Wireless stores and online in Cyan, sporting a $99.99 price tag with activation. Moreover, both new and existing customers will be able to enjoy higher-speed data allotments "at the same low price."

"Again this season, Cricket helps customers by offering the newest smartphone technology and monthly rate plans at competitive prices. This means customers can get the great devices they want and also have money to spend on holiday parties and gifts for family and friends," Andy Smoak, head of product for Cricket Wireless, touts in a new press release on Tuesday, Nov. 4. "Our no-annual contract plans starting at $35 per month after $5 credit for using Auto Pay - all in, including taxes and fees - and competitive device pricing make Cricket's offering one of the best values in the market place."

The Nokia Lumia 635 made its debut back in April alongside the Lumia 630, launching with Windows Phone 8.1 on board out of the box, complete with the much-touted Cortana virtual assistant. The two devices are virtually identical, with the exception that the Lumia 635 is 4G LTE-enabled and single-SIM, while the Lumia 630 comes with dual-SIM and only supports 3G.

In terms of specifications, the Nokia Lumia 635 sports a 4.5-inch ClearBlack IPS LCD display with a resolution of 854 x 840 and Gorilla Glass 3 protection, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2GHz, a 5-megapixel rear camera with no flash, and no front shooter.

While the handset doesn't come with any high-end specs on board, it does pack some neat software features such as the Lumia Storyteller app, Cortana, Kid's Corner, Xbox Live for gaming on the go, and premium free services including HERE Drive+, HERE Maps, Microsoft Office, and MixRadio.

When it comes to pricing options, the Nokia Lumia 635 will be available on Cricket's Basic ($40, 1GB), Smart ($50, 3GB), and Pro ($60, 10GB) plans, which are eligible for a $5 price cut with monthly Auto Pay credit. 

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WhatsApp announces free lifetime subscription for Indians

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging app for the smartphones today. It almost killed the traditional SMS and had already caused a serious dent in the SMS revenue of mobile companies. The app is available on all the platforms. The company has a good news in store for Indians; it won’t be charging any sum for renewal of subscription of services.
Vice President of WhatsApp, Neeraj Arora, said that the company understands the low concentration of credit cards in the country, and paying for a service won’t be an option for many. The company usually charges $1 every year to renew the subscription, which is a fairly cheap price. But for Indians, WhatsApp said the magic word Read More on Phone-Probe

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CNN commentator labels iPad controversy 'false and idiotic', says he was using both tablets

CNN's Jake Tapper mentioned on Twitter that the controversy surrounding the commentator's use of iPads over the network-provided Surface Pro 3 was "false and idiotic". Microsoft partnered with CNN to give its Surface Pro 3 tablets airtime during the broadcaster's Election coverage, although yesterday commentators were found to be using iPads hidden behind Microsoft's tablets. Tapper said that he was using his iPad for tweeting while the Surface Pro 3 was showing statistics of the exit polls.

@mattsheffield it's false and idiotic, other than that, though, it's great.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 6, 2014

@mattsheffield I used both. Used my iPad for tweeting.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 6, 2014

@mattsheffield I liked it fine, I just wanted to keep the screen up with exit polls. This is a false meme
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 6, 2014

 What do you guys make of the CNN commentator's statements?

Source: Twitter; Via: Windows Central

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WhatsApp gets bugs fixes and improvements in the latest update

Popular IM WhatsApp is working hard to give the best experience to the Windows Phone Users. The team has pushed another update today making the count to 3 continuous updates. This new v2.11.596 includes few enhancements and bug fixes.
This comes on the heels of the previous update about a week ago, which brought support for higher resolution screens, the ability to crop and edit photos, and the ability to archive conversations.
What do you think of the latest app? Let us know in the comments if you find anything new.

Download WhatsApp for Windows Phone 

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Microsoft trolled by CNN Commentators for ignoring free Surface Pro 3 over iPads

Microsoft's product placement for the Surface Pro 3 on CNN has taken a surprising turn for the worse. The company managed to score a deal with the broadcaster to have its laptop killers present on CNN's news show, but commentators appeared to be more interested in iPads concealed behind said Microsoft hardware.

There's no question that having the Surface Pro 3 on-stage makes the show look more professional, but we're sure this isn't what Microsoft had planned for its product placement.

This also isn't the first time Microsoft has had to deal with Surface Pro product placements going wrong. Similar marketing fail happened for Microsoft Surface team during NFL. Microsoft has signed a $400 million deal with NFL for various marketing activities. In fact, Microsoft is the “The Official Sideline Technology Sponsor of the NFL,” and the Surface is “the official tablet” of NFL. You could have even spotted Surface and Microsoft branding in sidelines during NFL games. Despite all these, a commentator was not aware of the fact that players were given a Surface Pro 2 devices to analyze their games instead of physical photos which they used all these years. The commentator mentioned it as “iPad like tool” when he was trying to mention Microsoft Surface.
Microsoft marketing team came to know about this and worked with commentators to avoid such mistakes. Microsoft has even coached few announcers on being better able to identify the devices. “That coaching will continue to ensure our partners are well equipped to discuss Surface when the camera pans to players using the device during games”, said Microsoft spokesperson. Microsoft is even encouraging teams to use the Surface tablets and they are working directly with teams “to make sure all players and coaches are comfortable using the device.

Image Credits: @Keshwar, @adamUCF, @_Melbourneer_; via: Geekwire 

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The change cycle begins as Nokia Vietnam page gets rebranded to Microsoft Lumia Vietnam

The last couple of weeks have been a tough at Microsoft as they are slowly removing the "Nokia" name from almost everywhere. The latest rebrand was the change of Nokia Camera to Lumia Camera and now Nokia Vietnam Facebook page got a change and now it shows as Microsoft Lumia Vietnam. 

Microsoft will be busy for more days in rebranding everything to Microsoft Lumia and we will be seeing more changes in the coming days to reflect post acquisition changes. We will be covering all the rebranding as they will come so stay glued with us.

Are you satisfied with the new "Microsoft Lumia" name? Let us know below.

Source: Facebook (Microsoft Lumia Vietnam)

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Nokia Camera gets rebranded to Lumia Camera

Microsoft has taken up the charge to rename all the apps as a part of Nokia acquisition. The latest addition is the Nokia Camera app which, today got renamed to Lumia Camera, reflecting the post acquisition changes. The app doesn't have any new features but they will come soon as the Denim rollout takes place by the end of this year.
Lumia Camera replaces Nokia Camera, while the Classic version is actually the Nokia Camera Beta. An odd way of doing things, but Classic is targeted for hardware without the Denim firmware update. Both apps are currently sat on version 4.9.1.2 and as touched on above, there aren't any noticeable changes in the two new updates.

Download Lumia Camera

Download Lumia Camera Classic

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Windows Phone Twitter and Facebook pages will be getting a new name this week

Microsoft officially revealed that they will be changing Windows Phone to "Microsoft Lumia" as an effort to ditch Nokia from its name and eventually from its new smartphones. The Windows Phone Twitter and Facebook pages have made an official announcement today stating the change. The name change will roll out from 7th November, Friday.

FYI: On Friday, November 7th, we'll be changing our name to Microsoft Lumia! http://t.co/Nt1zO3a5si pic.twitter.com/sDZ2HsR9Yh
— Windows Phone (@windowsphone) November 3, 2014

The changes are all part of Microsoft's previously announced plans to focus on the Lumia brand for their smartphones. It also shows that the company is downplaying the Windows Phone branding as a whole, and that the company could in the future simply refer to the mobile version of its OS as "Windows" as part of a unified marketing effort across smartphones, tablets, and PCs.
Do you think Microsoft should ditch Windows Phone or should it keep the brand around?

Source: Conversations Blog; Via: Windows Phone Twitter & Facebook

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Skype opens Sign Up for Skype Real-time Speech Translator Preview

Few months back, Satya Nadella and Skype Corporate Vice President Gurdeep Singh Pall unveiled Skype Translator, Microsoft’s breakthrough in real-time speech and today they announced that they are rolling out a Skype Translator preview program. Visit the sign-up page here. The Skype Translator Preview will support a few languages at first and will initially be on devices running Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 Technical Preview only. Participation in the preview will be confirmed depending on: the date you registered; the devices you selected; the availability of selected languages; and registration code (if you have one).

We have seen tremendous interest and enthusiasm for Skype Translator from around the globe over the last few months and we’re incredibly excited to share it with the world. However, we want to hear from you first! The preview program will have limited spots available, so register today for your chance to secure a virtual spot in line!
The preview program will be free and will initially be available for Windows 8.1 computers and tablets only, and will kick-off with a limited selection of languages. That said, as part of the sign-up process, you’ll have the chance to tell us which languages are important to you, what platforms you’d like to see added, and how you plan to use Skype Translator once it becomes available. We look forward to this feedback, as it will help enhance future releases.

Head to the Skype blog Here to register yourself today. Let us know below if you are going to register.

Via: WMPowerUser

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