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.

iPhone vs. Windows Phone 7.

Brandon Miniman of Pocketnow.com produced a nice video comparing the new Windows Phone 7 to the iPhone. Even if the Windows Phone device is a prototype, the iPhone just look like a two or three generation old device with it's app-icon centric interface that hides data. Windows Phone 7 on the other hand has live tiles that aggregates your data on the home screen so you do not have to launch multiple apps to view your data. Windows Phone 7 brings the data that is important to you to the home screen.

Watch Brandon's video:

Pictures of HD7/3 surfaces.

Pictures of the HTC HD7/3 have shown up on a Taiwanese forum. The device is labeled HD3 on the back, but the community is referring to it as HD7 for the OS that powers it. Yes, Windows Phone 7. What else?

The device in the picture is not broken. It's just the a kickstand.

Check out the pictures via WMPoweruser.

At least one feature that won't work for me on Windows Phone 7.

I was reading an article over at Techflash about the availability of the Zune service in some countries in Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand. Obviously, Microsoft has been hard at work to get deals in those countries before the launch of the new Windows Phone next month. But that had me wondering if Microsoft will make the service available worldwide, including State islands like Mauritius. For one thing, Windows Phone 7 will reach Mauritian shores by year end. Thus far, Microsoft and Google seem to have diligently ignored the non-U.S, European customers – much to the benefit of Nokia. By now, if you’re reading this, you are probably asking yourself what I’m talking about.

So let’s get to the point with a hands-on, no matter if you have a Windows Phone (version 6.1 or later) or an Android phone. Launch Marketplace and Market, select any paid application and start the process to buy it.

Marketplace is smart enough to display both paid and free apps. But it’s also frustrating because you can’t actually buy those apps in Mauritius. Android Market lets you see only free apps. If you try looking for a paid application, the result is an annoying message saying that the app does not exist.

Why is it that I cannot access paid applications on both these platforms? Is my money not smart enough? You get the same frustrating experience on your PC with Windows Media Center which lists a bunch of great shows for you to watch, only that they are not available in your region. WHY?

I understand that each country has its own modus operandi, tax hungry governments and that companies like Microsoft have first to comply with local laws. Isn’t that the very reason why Microsoft has a bureau in Mauritius? To help, among other things, be in compliance and to strike deals with local business partners, policy makers.

Windows Phone 7 has everything it needs to get Microsoft win back market shares. It’s likely that we’ll see a dazzling lineup of Windows Phones next month on the market that will move Microsoft current ranking north. But that will only happen in the U.S. and Europe. Other markets will remain deprived of paid apps, Zune service and probably Xbox live. Limited to Nokia's offerings and not enjoy the full potential of the Windows Phone.

These features won't work for me on the new Windows Phone.

Opera releases Opera Mini 5.1 for windows Mobile.

Looking for a better Windows Mobile browser? Opera today released the improved Opera Mini 5.1 for Windows Mobile. The new update brings better support for high resolution handsets, accelerometer support and the ability to set Opera Mini as the default browser.

Opera Mini 5.1 has already been released for Java, Android and BlackBerry phones. Now available for Windows Mobile 2003 SE, 5.x and 6.x handsets, Opera Mini’s server backbone speeds up browsing while reducing the data transferred to the phone. For users roaming on expensive networks, or with pay-as-you-go data plans, Opera Mini can cut your mobile data bill by up to 90 percent.

Opera Mini 5.1 features many compelling updates, including: 

• The ability to set Opera Mini as the default browser
• Support for devices with high-resolution (high DPI)
• Improved page layout and font rendering
• Support for auto-rotation
• Advanced configuration support for power users

“Opera Mini 5.1 contains several key improvements for the millions of people with a Windows Mobile phone,” said Jon von Tetzchner, Co-founder, Opera Software. “The new Opera Mini is particularly vibrant and really takes advantage of high resolution screens. And, now that you can set Opera Mini as your default browser on a Windows Mobile phone, it is much easier to enjoy the speed boost and data compression. It is our way of making your Windows Mobile phone better.”

Download

Visit m.opera.com with your phone’s default browser, and Opera will automatically select the optimized version for your phone. Opera Mini is free to download and use. Opera Mini works on Windows Mobile 2003 SE, Windows Mobile 5.x and Windows Mobile 6.x phones.

Windows Phone Ads appear on YouTube.

Microsoft is getting ready for the Windows Phone release with these two adverts that appeared on YouTube. While I have never seen the one before because it was shown at an event in London during the last weekend, I am sure the second video is not new. If my memory serves me well, it's been out there since Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, officially announced Windows Phone 7 at MWC in Barcelona earlier this year. Anyway, sit back and enjoy.





Source: Geek in Disguise