Expensive IM+ Messenger ($9.99) for Windows Phone receives Microsoft seal of approval.

The popular IM+ Messenger has got the Microsoft seal of approval and is now available on Marketplace for $10. While this price is grossly exaggerated, there is not even a trial. Plus I can't even buy it since Marketplace remains inaccessible to Mauritians. But wait, why do I have to buy this when I have it already on my iPad and Nexus One. IM+ for the iPad and Android is no match to the Windows Phone version in terms of pricing. Both platforms sell it for the unbeatable price of $0.00. You can also get the Pro version on Android for $9.99 if you need an ad-free version. So, who do we blame for this: Microsoft or Shape Services? All I know is that I'm starting to see some sites publishing price comparisons between Microsoft and Apple stores. Microsoft has the lead for the most expensive apps. Microsoft, I think it's high time you review your prices.


Download IM+
Source: Pocket Now

Recently released Evernote gets updated to version 1.1.

Last week we saw Evernote finally makes its way to Windows Phone Marketplace. For those of you who just came back from Mars, Evernote is a nice app that lets you take notes, recordings and sync all that to the web and make your ideas accessible on any device or PC. Evernote is now again making the headlines with an update already posted to Marketplace. According to a blog post, "We’ve published an update for Windows phone 7 (V. 1.1). This version addresses the “white screen” problem some reported. Please check for updates to try the latest version." I have not experienced this issue on my HTC Mozart, but an update being an update, I have no choice but to download it.


Source: Evernote Blogcast

Evernote makes it to Windows Phone.

Evernote, the coolest note-taking app is now available for free on Marketplace. I'm particularly excited by this because I now have it running on all my devices and since Evernote saves my notes to the cloud, I can access them wherever I am and no matter which device/platform I'm using. It is also possible to download entire notebooks for offline access if you're a Premium subscriber.


Evernote takes full advantage of Windows Phone Metro UI and makes taking notes a breeze.


Learn more about Evernote for Windows Phone.


Evernote is free for download here.

Test the quality of your SharePoint site with Site Checker.

SharePoint 2010 Site Checker is a must have application for SharePoint Site administrators. Site Checker is set of automated tools that will test the quality of your internet facing SharePoint site right on your Windows Phone. "This version executes only site checks and page checks on the homepage". Mavention, the developer behind Site Checker, wants to "know if you are interested in scanning a complete site or in running the tool on premise so that you can check the quality of your internet-facing website before it is published online."


Site Checker is free to download on Marketplace.

Share your photos in one place, in real-time with LiveShare.

You've been to a great party this week end with your friends, family and, besides the abundance of drinks and foods, there were also a lot of flashes around emanating from cameras. So you and your friends have decided to capture the best moments of the party. What next? Some of the pictures will end up on Facebook but most of them will remain on that camera and most likely be moved to that huge TB size external hard disk sitting next to your laptop and never to be viewed again. That is because you have not looked at LiveShare yet.


LiveShare is a free app for Windows Phone that lets you share your photos in one place and in real-time. This way you do not have to chase them around. Real-time also means you can see what your loved ones are actually doing at the party. And LiveShare is very easy to use besides being free. Just open the app on your phone, start a photo stream, invite your friends and family to share photo into your stream. Pretty simple. The streams you create can only be viewed by people you invite or they invite.


LiveShare is a free app that can be download at zune://navigate/?phoneappid=7daafbde-1f2f-e011-854c-00237de2db9e


Learn  more at www.liveshare.com

Shutdown of Windows Mobile Marketplace website and My Phone service.

Microsoft will discontinue Windows Mobile Marketplace website starting July 15, 2011. What that means is that owners of phones running Windows Mobile 6.x will no longer be able to browse the mobile website to download and purchase apps. However, this move does not affect the Marketplace application already installed on Windows Mobile 6.x phones. Users will still be able to browse, buy or download applications directly on their devices.

Along with the Marketplace website, Microsoft is also shutting down the My Phone service on October 6, 2011. Data currently stored on My Phone will be moved to Windows Live Skydrive which is Microsoft free online storage. Contacts, Calendar, text messages and photos will be moved to SkyDrive.  Videos, music, documents and favourites will not migrated, so it is the responsibility of the user to migrate those to a PC. The My Phone website will no longer be available on October 6, 2011. However, Microsoft will continue to store users’ data for one year and that same data can be shipped upon request until October 5, 2012.

To learn more visit http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2557520

Check out this app: Photo Crop

Crop, rotate and flip your photos for free on your Windows Phone.

Photo Crop | zune://navigate/?phoneappid=1710a949-f151-e011-854c-00237de2db9e


Sent from my Windows Phone 7

Free SPB TV 2.0 for Windows Phone released.

The prolific SPB software strikes once again with the release of SPB TV 2.0, a free application that lets you stream more than 150 TV channels from more than 20 countries without any subscription required. Users are able to choose which channel they want to watch using the channel selection screen which also provides all the "needed information about the running TV program including a screenshot and TV guide information".

*** SPB TV for Windows Phone 7 Main Features *** 

- More than 150 TV channels from more than 20 countries, subscription free 

- Unique TV browser with fast channel launching and switching 

- Integrated TV Guide with a list of current and upcoming TV shows 

- Video-on-demand 

- Network bandwidth fluctuations support 

- Onscreen controls

Download SPB TV at Microsoft Marketplace http://social.zune.net/redirect?type=phoneApp&id=5bead4b5-b65e-e011-854c-00237de2db9e 

Read the full press release after the break.

See the next Windows Phone OS.

Press release: Microsoft Previews Next Release of Windows Phone

REDMOND, Wash. — May 24, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. today previewed the next major release of Windows Phone, code-named “Mango,” through a series of media events around the world. “Mango” will deliver more than 500 new features to push the boundaries of the smartphone experience around communications, apps and the Internet. The “Mango” release will be available for free to Windows Phone 7 customers and is scheduled to ship on new phones beginning this fall. More details on device update timing will be provided closer to availability. Windows Phone will also add support for additional languages, expand access to apps by launching Windows Phone Marketplace in new countries, and partner with new OEMs to enable expansion to new markets.*

“Seven months ago we started our mission to make smartphones smarter and easier for people to do more,” said Andy Lees, president of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft. “With ‘Mango,’ Windows Phone takes a major step forward in redefining how people communicate and use apps and the Internet, giving you better results with less effort.”

Communications: Easier to Connect and Share

The smartphone experience can be complicated by a sea of disconnected apps and accounts as people attempt to keep pace with all the ways they communicate — from calls, texts, email and instant messages (IM) to status updates, Tweets, check-ins, photo posting and tagging. To help people stay on top of that growing complexity, the “Mango” release organizes information around the person or group people want to interact with, not the app they have to use.

•
Threads. Switch between text, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger within the same conversation.
•
Groups. Group contacts into personalized Live Tiles to see the latest status updates right from the Start Screen and quickly send a text, email or IM to the whole group.
•
Deeper social network integration. Twitter and LinkedIn feeds are now integrated into contact cards, and “Mango” includes built-in Facebook check-ins and new face detection software that makes it easier to quickly tag photos and post to the Web.
•
Linked inbox. See multiple email accounts in one linked inbox. Conversations are organized to make it easy to stay on top of the latest mail.
•
Hands-free messaging. Built-in voice-to-text and text-to-voice support enables hands-free texting or chatting.
A Smarter Approach to Apps

Flory is no more. Developer cuts development.

I blogged about Flory a few weeks ago in this post as being the first multi protocol messenger app for Windows Phone. Since then I have been using it and it has served me well. Unfortunately, Flory has disappeared from MarketPlace. The developer has decided to remove it from MarketPlace but will keep the server running "until at least IM+ is released...". I've learnt from a blog post at www.flory-im.com that the developer "was looking for an instant messenger for his new Windows Phone. Since there was no messenger, he decided to develop his own, to motivate known messenger developers of other platforms like WhatsApp, IM+ etc. to finally release their messengers for the Windows Phone platform, too. And of course, to have an instant messenger in the meantime". 


According to the blog post, IM+ is working to get a beta version released this month and Kik Messenger has been announced during MIX developer conference. Read Flory blog post here.


Note that neither IM+ or Kik Messenger are available yet in MarketPlace. Those who downloaded Flory can still continue use it until the Flory folks shut down the server.

Check out this app: Appa Mundi Tasks

I have seen a lot of rant and request for a Task application into Windows phone. So I decided to look for one on MarketPlace and there are quite a few out there. Among them Appa Mundi Tasks, developed by Appa Mundi Ltd. It is not free - the app costs $3.99 - and a seven days trial is available for download.

Appa Mundi Tasks can be used as a standalone app in case you do not have an Exchange Server 2003 or later. But if you have a need for an online solution so you can create, modify and backup your Tasks, you can always synchronize your list with Hotmail To-Do. That way if you lose your phone, your Tasks list will remain available online. You should already have Hotmail To-Do.

To setup sync between the phone and Hotmail To-Do, open Appa Mundi Tasks on your Windows Phone, tap “...” > Settings > Synchronization Settings. Enter your Windows Live ID or Exchange server credentials. Contact your Exchange server administrator if you do not have this information. For the server name for hotmail, type “m.hotmail.com” and check the “server requires encrypted (SSL) connection”. Validate and start filling your list and synchronize with your Exchange/Hotmail server. Unfortunately, there is no way to auto-synchronize. To view your Tasks in Hotmail, login to your account online and open the Calendar and look under the Hotmail To-Do tab.

Appa Mundi Tasks is a simple to use task app. See list of features below.

Appa Mundi Features:

View your Tasks by due date 
View all Tasks by category
Create new Tasks on your Windows Phone
Edit and Delete existing Tasks
Assign Tasks to categories.
Send status reports via email (Not available in trial)
Synchronize with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 or later or Hotmail To-Do
Live tile shows number of active Tasks (Not available in trial)
In application reminders (Not available in trial)
Supports recurring Tasks
Keyword search

Download a trial or full version here.

Microsoft to acquire Skype.

It's now official, Microsoft is acquiring Skype for $8.5 billion, the largest acquisition made by the software giant. The new Microsoft Skype division will have Tony Bates, Skype current CEO, as its president and he will report directly to Steve Ballmer.  


"Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect, Windows Phone and a wide array of Windows devices, and Microsoft will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities. Microsoft will continue to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms.

"Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world."

Read more @ http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/may11/05-10CorpNewsPR.mspx

Posted on the go.

Check out this app: Fim Facebook Chat.

This is a great app for chatting on Facebook on your Windows Phone. Enjoy.

Fim Facebook Chat | zune://navigate/?phoneappid=fc382cec-df01-e011-9264-00237de2db9e

No Windows Phone? Get one at WindowsPhone.com!

Sent from my Windows Phone 7

Microsoft rolls out security update 7.0.7392.0 to Windows Phones.

I woke up this morning with my HTC Mozart displaying a new update notification for Windows Phone. Since I blogged about this a while ago, I knew instantly that it was about the announced security update to fix an issue caused by one root certificate authority who issued nine untrusted certificates. That can lead to spoofing and phishing. Note that this is an industry-wide issue, not just one affecting Windows Phone. So whatever phone, desktop OS or browser you're using, making sure you have the latest update installed. 

These certificates affect the following Web properties:

•	login.live.com
•	mail.google.com
•	www.google.com
•	login.yahoo.com (3 certificates)
•	login.skype.com
•	addons.mozilla.org
•	"Global Trustee"

Update 7.0.7392.0

•

Fix for fraudulent third-party digital certificates. This update includes a critical fix to an industry-wide issue with nine untrusted digital certificates that were issued by one root certificate authority. These third-party digital certificates are used to access popular websites and email portals. Although this is not a Microsoft security vulnerability, these untrusted certificates may be used to spoof content, perform phishing attacks, or perform man-in-the-middle attacks against all web browser users. This update moves the affected certificates to the "Untrusted Publishers" certificate store on Windows Phone, which helps ensure that these fraudulent certificates are not inadvertently used.

For more info, see Microsoft Security Advisory (2524375)

Check out this app: Bandwidth tester; which local carrier is speedier?

This is a simple app to test your 3G or WiFi connection on your Windows Phone.

I ran a test on two phones connected to 2 local carriers. Results: The company that does not have a fruit name had a download speed of 1.93mbps, whereas the fruit company had 1.35mbps. The latter did not complete the upload test, so it not worth mentioning the results nor the latency.

The Bandwidth app is free for download on Marketplace.

BandWidth | zune://navigate/?appID=bd5202c2-c401-e011-9264-00237de2db9e


Sent from my Windows Phone

Check out Flory, an app that brings Gtalk to Windows Phone.

I have long been looking for a Gtalk app for Windows  Phone and I'm happy today I've finally found it. Flory is an app that currently supports Gtalk and Facebook and does it quite well. Flory is available free for download on Marketplace.

I will post a short review later.

Flory | zune://navigate/?appID=129a347d-6609-e011-9264-00237de2db9e


Sent from my Windows Phone

App Review: Wake up to your music with Music Alarm Clock.

I think you will all agree that the Windows Phone alarm clock sucks. You are limited to the default system sound and it is currently not possible to set your own music as alarm, the same you cannot have a customized ring tone. All of this will supposedly change with the Mango upgrade. If you’re out looking for an alternative to the default alarm clock, which by the way is extremely annoying, then look for Music Alarm Clock on Marketplace.

As its name implies, this nice utility lets you set your own music as your alarm thus ensuring a pleasant wake up. Very simple to use, Music Alarm Clock will tap into the songs you synchronized to your phone.

How it works?

Start the app and set the alarm time. Then you may choose to manually set your song or have the app randomly select a song from your playlist. I really like this feature.

What I don’t like.

In fact, there is just one thing I don’t like about Music Alarm Clock. It supports just one alarm. It would be nice to be able to set multiple alarms.  The other issue is not the developer’s fault. Because of restrictions set by Microsoft, the application does not run in the background. So you’ll have to keep Music Alarm Clock running in the foreground. Therefore, remember to bring it up before going to bed and switch off the screen and it will work fine. The developers said will they will update the app when Microsoft enables multitasking. Until then, Music Alarm Clock is a cool utility to have if you’re bored and annoyed by the default alarm sound.

Download here.

Seesmic for Windows Phone updated to version 1.5.

Seesmic is not just an app that lets you post to a Twitter account; it's also capable of handling multiple Twitter accounts and your Facebook account. It also helps you keep all these organized on a dashboard.

So what's new in 1.5:

·         Better user experience with context menus

·         Trend integration with services from What The Trend

·         Send tweet via SMS

·         User is now able to select how to open hyperlinks (in-app browser      or IE)

·         UI improvements in Salesforce Chatter

·         Fixed Facebook timeline bug

·         Fixed Twitter login bug

·         "speak" a tweet (it reads the tweet for you)

Seesmic can be downloaded free on Marketplace

zune://navigate/?phoneappid=bc081865-c2cc-df11-9eae-00237de2db9e

Sent from my Windows Phone 7

Microsoft has a security fix in the works for Windows Phone 7.

First, it is important to point out that this fix will be issued by Microsoft for a mistake made by a third party Certification Authority called Comodo. According to The Unwired, the latter “issued fraudulent digital certificates on behalf of a third party without sufficiently validating its identity. These certificates may be used to spoof content, perform phishing attacks or perform man-in-the-middle attacks against all web browsers including Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 7.”

The update is currently being tested by Microsoft and its partners. The fix is expected to be released early May.

App Review: “9 Contacts Quick”. Add 9 contacts to one tile on your home-screen.

The new Windows Phone screen lets you pin your favourite contacts to the home screen for easy and quick access. Which is great and efficient, but it’s not so when you have more than one favourite contacts. Adding them to your home screen will make for more scrolling. What if you could group them together under one tile? That is possible with “9 Contacts Quick”, a free app from NeverDecaf that lets you add nine members of your family or friends to one tile on the main screen.

“9 Contacts Quick” is very easy to use. After downloading and installing from Zune, open the app from the application list on your phone. The main screen has three headers: Call, SMS and Email. Below the headers are 9 tiles that you will fill up with your favourite contacts to quickly call, SMS or email them. Tap Call to initiate a phone call, SMS to send a message etc.

 

Tap a tile. Doing so will launch your contact list. Now choose your favourite contact and select a phone number. The data is added to the tile with the phone number displayed. This is somehow inconvenient, since it adds one more step to have the contacts name displayed. I think the developer should take that one step out. To have the name displayed, just tap the tile again and fill up the available fields: Name, Description and Symbol/Initial. Click OK when done. Repeat the same steps for the other tiles.

When you’re done filling up the other tiles, remember to pin the app to the Start menu.

Say that one of your friends is not a favourite anymore or you want to make update a tile. This is easily achieved by a tap and hold on a tile. A menu appears with the following self explanatory options: Select New Contact and Update Name and Description.

This is it. Now you have 9 persons who are important to you on your home screen. No need to search for them in your extensive contact list. “9 Contacts Quick” is extremely easy to use. However, some steps in the addition of a contact can be automated. For example, having the name of the contact added to the tile. One last thing that I believe should be change is the name of the app, really.

I recommend “9 Contacts Quick”.

zune://navigate/?appID=a61b7096-5265-e011-81d2-78e7d1fa76f8

Facebook for Windows Phone updated.

Microsoft is pushing an update for the Facebook Application for Windows Phone. The update does not bring features like push notifications but includes "a lot of fixes to known issues and significant performance improvements".

You should have received a notification on your home screen by now; if not make sure you add the Marketplace tile to your main screen.

Check out this app: NBA Scores Lite

This is a must have application if you're a NBA fan. Besides games schedules, NBA Scores Lite supports Live tile. Just choose your game and pin it to your Windows Phone 7 screen and watch the score evolve. The tile will display each teams jerseys with their respective score. As I'm writing this, I'm "watching" the Spurs vs Grizzlies game on my phone. Very useful when you cannot watch the game on TV.

I recommend this app.

NBA Scores Lite | zune://navigate/?appID=b11cc098-7bf7-df11-9264-00237de2db9e

Sent from my Windows Phone 7

My HTC Mozart - front

Sent from my Windows Phone

My HTC Mozart.

Sent from my Windows Phone

MIX11 WP7 "Help Turn This Fan-Made Windows Phone Video into a Real TV Ad"

Voici une vidéo à ne pas manquer sur YouTube :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xm-_gbmcM4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Enjoy.

HTC releases app that makes WP7 see hidden networks.

A known issue since its release in October last year, Windows Phone 7 phones built by HTC now can see hidden networks. Hidden Wifi is available free for download on MarketPlace.

"The hidden Wi-Fi app let's you add 3 Wi-Fi access points with hidden network names to your Wi-Fi network list. After you add them to your list, you can connect to them like any other Wi-Fi network."

Hopefully we'll see a similar app built into Windows Phone 7 soon.

Follow the link on your HTC Windows Phone 7 to download the free app:

zune://navigate/?phoneappid=92a1beb6-c564-e011-81d2-78e7d1fa76f8

System Information Report for my HTC Mozart.

Phone
   Model: HTC 7 Mozart T8698
   Time: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 ● 7:55:12 PM
   Time zone: UTC+04
   Turned on since: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 ● 1:26:02 PM
   Operating time: 6 hours, 29 minutes and 10 seconds
   Screen resolution: 480 x 800
   Display language: English (United States)
   Region format: English (United States)
   OS version: 7.0.7390
   .NET CLR version: 3.7.10302.0
   Firmware version: 2250.09.13001.401
   Hardware version: 0004


Storage
   Total memory: 475.12 MB
   Available storage: 5.78 GB
   Number of songs: 0
   Number of pictures: 13
   Pictures size: 3.87 MB

Network
   Connection interface: WiFi
   IP address:

System Information by Eyjo is a free app for Windows Phone 7. Get it here: http://social.zune.net/redirect?type=phoneApp&id=c7469572-2950-e011-854c-00237de2db9e

Sent from my Windows Phone

Joe Belfiore talks about Windows Phone 7 and updates.

Enjoy

http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Counting-Down-to-Mix/Countdown-to-MIX11-Joe-Belfiore-Talks-Phone

Free: TuneIn Radio for Windows Phone - listen to radio everywhere you go.

TuneIn is the kind of app that you will always want to have handy especially when travelling as it lets you somehow stay in touch with home through live streaming. TuneIne radio on your Windows Phone offers free access to over 30,000 FM & AM radio stations over the world. I like this app; it's installed on all my devices and i'm happy to see it land on my Windows Phone - after all, it's the one device carry everywhere.

One very useful feature of TuneIn Radio is the ability to search not only radio stations, but you can also search by artist and song and see which radio stations are playing it right now. I find this to be very cool.

TuneIn is free for download in MarketPlace or visit tunein.com on your Windows Phone to download.

Posted using my good old HTC Touch Pro 2 running Windows Mobile 6.5.

Microsoft started updating Windows Phone 7 updater software to prepare phone for NoDo.

Since yesterday, Microsoft has started pushing a small update to Windows Phones globally. While this is not the update known as NoDo that will bring copy/paste to WP7, it prepares your device for it and for upcoming updates that Microsoft will push your way. As mentioned in the title of this post, the update upgrades the updater software on your phone. If you haven't got the update yet, don't worry, Microsoft is gradually pushing it out, so it will eventually reached your beloved device. So what can you do in the mean time.

First, check that you have the latest version of Zune on your computer. To verify that, open Zune, click Settings at the top of the screen, then Software > General > Check for updates.

On your phone, verify that the update notification is enabled. Navigate to Settings > System > Phone update. Check both boxes on that screen.

Connect your phone to your computer and restart. Try again later if, like me, you do not see the update notification.

Anyone got the update yet? 

Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac out of beta.

Owners of Mac computers running Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later can you now use the free connector to sync a Windows Phone 7 with a Mac. So, if you're a Mac user and have been holding off purchasing a Windows Phone, you don't have to worry anymore.

Besides being easy to use, Windows Phone 7 Connector lets you:

• Sync music, movies, TV Shows and podcasts, from your existing iTunes library, to your devices*
• Sync photos and videos, from your existing iPhoto library, to your devices
• Retrieve photos and videos, taken on your Windows Phone, and automatically import them into your existing iPhoto library
• Browse and preview media items located on your devices
• Download and install operating system updates for your Windows Phone (as applicable)
* Only unprotected (non DRM) files are supported


Click the image to download the app from App Store.

A Geek is born

Free Amazon app for Windows Phone 7.

It's the Windows Phone platform to now receive the Amazon app after IOS and Android. The free app of course lets you purchase stuff on the online store, post reviews, compare prices, access account and shipping options right on the device on the go. Windows Phone users can access Amazon through their browsers without the app, but its was somehow inconvenient and slow. The new Amazon app makes perusing the online store more fun. Note that all prices are in U.S. dollar.

The app can be downloaded free in the Windows Phone MarketPlace.

Windows Phone 7 photos from Nokia press conference.

Today is day one of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and Nokia did not wait for today to show some Windows Phone 7 concepts at a press briefing held yesterday. The concepts phone have great looks. They sure look attractive, eye-catching and thin. The different colors are a differentiating factor already, considering that other existing Windows Phone 7 phones are mostly black or grey. Unfortunately Stephen Elop, the former Microsoft Vice president turned Nokia CEO, did not mention any availability dates.

Check out the video of the Nokia press briefing at MWC.

Seesmic Gets updated.

There is an update to Seesmic for Windows Phone 7. You should see it
on your home screen on your phone if you have MarketPlace tile there.
The update brings Seesmic to version 1.3 and includes the following:

Timelines are now caches for increased loading speed.
Speed and scrolling improvements everywhere in the app.
Display of private and verified Twitter accounts.
Added animations and transitions.
Bug fixes.

Nokia and Microsoft announce plans for a broad strategic partnership to build a new global ecosystem

London, Feb. 11, 2011 - Nokia and Microsoft today announced plans to form a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem.

Nokia and Microsoft intend to jointly create market-leading mobile products and services designed to offer consumers, operators and developers unrivalled choice and opportunity.  As each company would focus on its core competencies, the partnership would create the opportunity for rapid time to market execution.  Additionally, Nokia and Microsoft plan to work together to integrate key assets and create completely new service offerings, while extending established products and services to new markets. 

Under the proposed partnership:

- Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.

- Nokia would help drive the future of Windows Phone.  Nokia would contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.

- Nokia and Microsoft would closely collaborate on joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.

- Bing would power Nokia's search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing's next generation search capabilities.  Microsoft adCenter would provide search advertising services on Nokia's line of devices and services.

- Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft's mapping services.   For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft's Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience

- Nokia's extensive operator billing agreements would make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.

- Microsoft development tools would be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem's global reach. 

- Nokia's content and application store would be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

"Today, developers, operators and consumers want  compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great  experience," Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO, said at a joint news conference in London. "Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale. It's now a three-horse race."

"I am excited about this partnership with Nokia," said Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. "Ecosystems thrive when fueled by speed, innovation and scale. The partnership announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute."

Please visit www.nokia.com/press for press materials.

Article: The Why and How’s of Windows Phone 7

The Why and How's of Windows Phone 7
http://mstruys.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-why-and-hows-of-windows-phone-7/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Sent from my iPad

Article: Sony's official NGP announcement video hits the web

Sony's official NGP announcement video hits the web
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/29/sonys-official-ngp-announcement-video-hits-the-web/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Sent from my iPad

Skype variant for Windows Phone 7 is a work in progress.

You probably remember sometime back, Skype announced that they had no
plans to develop Skype for Microsoft mobile platform. Well they
haven't change their mind for whatever reasons which we can imagine is
politically motivated. Fortunately, a developer over at Xda has
started working on a variant of Skype which for now allows for
chatting only. The project is still in progress and the developer is
looking for help in the design of the app. So, if you have time and
the skills, go to
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=926939.

At this stage, contacts and ability to chat are working.

I have the feeling that Skype is not going to like this.

eWallet Go! for Windows Phone 7 released.

My first encounter with Ilium Software goes back to the days when Windows Phone was known as Pocket PC for touchscreen devices and Smartphones for non-touchscreen devices. At that time, Microsoft nearly owned theses names. Now that Windows Phone 7 is out, most developers have or are working to port their software to the new platform and Ilium is the latest to announce the release of eWallet.

eWallet is an application that lets you securely store your data on your Windows Phone 7 using 256 bit AES encryption. eWallet does not stop there as it lets you backup and restore your information using Google Docs and Dropbox. Very useful in case you have to perform a hard reset.

eWallet is available on MarketPlace for $4.99.

For more information, visit http://www.iliumsoft.com/ewalletgo.

New URL.

With the new year, I thought convenient to change the URL to the new name Microsoft has chosen for its phone. As from now, I am moving from Pocket PC Mauritius to Windowsphonemu.blogspot.com. Please, change your bookmarks. Thanks for following this blog. Happy new year to you all.

Linley

Merry Christmas all

I'm currently on vacation in Hong Kong, that is why this blog has been silent for a while. I will be back next year. Until then, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Hope Santa will bring some cool stuff to all of you.

I just got a tweet from Santa, and he's bringing me an iPad. I'm so excited.

Dear readers,  thank you for your Support and again, have a great Christmas.

I'm posting this from my Nexus One.

Tips: How to change language on your Windows Phone 7.

I speak three languages, English, French and Creole. The latter is our mother tongue. Since I'm active on the Windows Phone forums, both English and French, i find it very useful to be able to switch between the two languages. However, it would be great to be able to do so without having to reboot the phone like it's the case on another mobile operating system. Most Windows Phone 7 supports at least two languages and they vary depending on your location. So, how do you go about doing the switch? Follow the steps below:

From the main screen, flick to the left to access the application list.

Scroll down to Settings. Tap to open.

Tap Region & Language.

Tap the "Display language" field to select your preferred language. When done, you are taken back to the Region & Language screen.

Notice just above the "Display language", there is a message saying "Tap here to accept changes and restart your phone." Tap that message to restart your phone into the new language.

To revert back to your initial language, follow the same steps.

Now if you have been through all these steps and finally decided not to proceed with the switch, do not tap to restart the phone, instead press the Back button.

HTC Hub now has live tile.

The HTC Hub application has been updated on HTC phones running Windows Phone 7. It is now live and and shows your local weather. It's good to see more and more apps with live tiles on the main screen. This is, among other things, what makes Windows Phone 7 unique. In case you missed it, there is also a Twitter client on MarketPlace called Beezz that supports push nofication and live tile. 

Check out the video to see the live tile in action:

Source: WMPoweruser via: PocketNow

APPA Mundi brings Tasks sync to Windows Phone 7.

While Windows Phone 7 has tight Exchange server integration, it does not support Tasks synchronization. I don't think ever reading anything about the reasons Tasks was left out. Thanks to a third party developer, Tasks synchronization is now possible. The application lets you update your to-do list and sync with Exchange and, of course, see your Tasks in Outlook. Other options include:

• Filter your Task list by Status
• Sort your Tasks by Status, Priority, Subject, Start Date or Due Date
• Create new Tasks on your Windows Phone
• Edit and Delete existing Tasks
• Synchronize with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and later
• Trial version supports a maximum of 6 Tasks
• Credentials are securely stored and only used to communicate directly with your Exchange Server

For more info, visit APPA Mundi website.

Windows Phone unlocker released.

Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh and Long Zheng have put their efforts together to build a simple program that will let you install applications that did not make it to Microsoft MarketPlace. In other words, the software unlocks your Windows Phone 7 and the process is reversible. So it's not like you're jailbreaking your phone. Installing the unlocker on your phone does not modify the operating system.

Check out www.chevronwp7.com for more details.

Google Search app hits Windows Phone 7.

Yes and that is no surprise since Bing has long had its presence on Android. Google Search for Windows Phone 7 has such features like suggestions while typing, results based on location using the built-in GPS. Of course Google Search is free, but is not available globally yet.

Tips: "service unavailable right now. Check back in a little while" when connecting to MarketPlace on WP7

You try to connect to Marketplace or initiate a download on your Windows Phone and the error above is displayed?
Open your browser on your computer and sign-in to www.zune.net and signout. Launch MarketPlace on your Windows Phone again and you should be good to go.

The same error in French reads like this:

"Nous ne parvenons pas à obtenir cette info. Ré-essayez dans quelques instants."

Sent with my Windows Phone 7

Free: Flickr Manager for Windows Phone 7.

I have seen several requests on the forum about the ability to upload stuffs to Flickr. now this is possible with the free Flickr Manager. using flickr Manager, you will be able to view/manage your photostream, view your favorites, upload photos right from your Windows Phone 7.

Visit MarketPlace on your device or Zune MarketPlace on your phone to download your free copy.

Xbox Live Extras updated.

If you have been experiencing issues with Xbox Live Extras, you may want to download this free update from MarketPlace. Microsoft does not say anything about the changes the update brings, but I guess it contains a fix to the problems evoked on the forums.

Note that Xbox Live Extras is available in 8 countries only:

United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Australia
Ireland
New Zealand
Singapore
Hong Kong

Xbox Live Extras has worked well for me, so I won't apply the update because of the location restrictions. Microsoft has announced that more countries will be added.


Sent with my Windows Phone 7

How to: Save a new phone # from SMS to Contact on Windows Phone 7.

A new business contact sends you a sms and since you just met a few minutes ago, the sms shows up on your new Windows Phone 7 with the phone number displayed. Obvious, this is a new contact. So how do you go about adding the phone number to your contacts?

Simple, open the SMS you just received and tap on the phone number at the top of the screen and this brings up the unknown contact profile page. Tap the Save icon on the application bar and you will be presented with the Choose a contact screen. You have to choices here: (1) Search or (2) New Contact.

The option to search a contact lets you save the phone number to an existing contact. But this is not what we want here. Tap "New Contact". The phone number is automatically added to the phone field and you get to set the Phone number type. Save your changes by tapping the tick at the bottom of the screen and you're taken back to the standard Contact page where you'll be able to add a photo, name of the new contact, assign a ringtone or add an email address. Tap Save and the contact are added to your phone. One last thing, if you have more than just the default Windows Live account, you will be given the choice to select to which account to save your new contact. For that, tap that Account field.

KB: When signing in to your Windows Phone with Live ID you are asked for an activation code.

Microsoft has published what probably is the first KB article for Windows Phone 7 after some users have reported that they cannot activate their shining new phone via Windows Live. While this issue does not affect the use of the phone itself, the user just won't be able to access services like Live email, Xbox, MarketPlace etc.

The good thing is that Microsoft has promptly issued a fix that requires you call Microsoft Support to get the activation code that will let you proceed with setting up your phone. Read the KB article for more information and to locate the Microsoft Customer Service nearest to you.

KB2431699

Microsoft adds YouTube plugin to MarketPlace.

Yes there is a free YouTube plugin on MarketPlace for Windows Phone 7. Now don't rush there you download it because you won't find it. Instead go to a site with YouTube videos, like m.youtube.com and tap on a video. The system will take you to MarketPlace to download the plugin. That  done, you will able to watch YouTube videos on your new phone.

Source: PocketNow

Windows Phone 7 launches in Europe, Asia and Australia today.

Today is the big day for Microsoft as Windows Phone 7 devices are already on store shelves in some part of the world; think Australia and New Zealand. There is a lot of buzz on the internet and reviews are all out with most of them positive. The not so positive thing about Windows Phone 7 is the lack of Copy/Paste and support for flash. But wait, all this is coming with an update soon. If you haven't get a chance to and play with the device yet, read he reviews posted on Engadget. The team offers an in-depth look at three devices: HTC HD 7; Samsung Omnia 7 and the HTC Surround.

Check them out and enjoy:

HTC HD7

Samsung Omnia 7

HTC Surround

There's another review on Gizmodo that 's also worth reading.

Windows Phone 7: How To.

The device is not out yet but you can still train yourself before the release next week in Europe and Asia with the How Tos posted by Microsoft on their website. I'm sure you will find them helpful.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/default.aspx

Enjoy.

IliumSoft developing eWallet for Windows Phone 7.

With the official launch of Windows 7 last Monday and the growing excitement for the platform, we're starting to see developers from the Windows mobile 6.x world porting their applications to the new WP7 platform. Which is great and logical. So it comes as no surprise that eWallet will soon be part of MarketPlace offerings. However, no official release date has been announced with eWallet for Windows Phone 7 still in the works.

Read the blog post here.

Windows Phone 7 forums.

You don't know where to go to ask questions about Microsoft's Windows Phone 7? There are two places I highly recommend:

The English forums for WP7: Windows Phone 7 Forums

The French forums for WP7: Forums Windows Phone 7

You will find me on both. See you there :)

First looks at HTC devices powered by Windows Phone 7 - HTC 7 Mozart

The HTC Mozart has a WVGA LCD screen, a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 576MB of RAM, 8GB built-in storage and an aluminum unibody.

First looks at HTC devices powered by Windows Phone 7 - HD7

The HD7 has 4.3 inch WVGA TFT screen, 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 576MB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera and of course Windows Phone 7. Basically it has the same specs as the HD2, except for the OS.

Windows Phone 7 is now official.

Yesterday, Microsoft officially launched Windows Phone 7 at an event in New York. They also presented some devices with the new OS and they kind of looked cool. So if you missed the event, check out the links below:

Watch the press conference

Tour the variety of devices

For one thing, Windows Phone 7 has grabbed the attention of many.

Windows Phone Radio Episode Number 2

Listen to episode 2 in the link.

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2010/10/08/windows-phone-radio-episode-number-2.aspx

Windows Phone radio launched.

With the upcoming release of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft has released the first episode of their radio show a few days ago. Hosted by Matt Akers and Brian Seitz, the weekly podcast will feature behind the scene information and interviews of Microsoft staff and partners involved with Windows Phone.

Here's the link to the first episode of the show:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/wpradio/WPR_Episode1.mp3

Source.