Microsoft to rebrand the Marketplace as Windows Phone Store?

You'll soon be purchasing apps from the Store
In the recent announcement of Microsoft launching the new Developer Center for the Windows Phone community, the company has also revealed a potential rebranding of the Windows Phone Marketplace. This is an expected move, which we'll rate as a strong possibility
. The Windows 8 Store is present in the next version of Microsoft's desktop operating system, so to remain consistent it makes sense to bring in a new name.
Windows 8, which will be powering not only desktop and laptops but tablets as well, will sport Microsoft's first real attempt at implementing an app store on its platform to rival the likes of Apple with its App Store. As well as that, we've got the Xbox Music Store replacing the Zune music service. "Store" appears to be chosen to brand Microsoft's online stores providing content to consumers through its products.


So what's happening with the mobile platform? Say hello to the Windows Phone Store. This will look to be the new home for all Windows Phone apps once Apollo is launched later this year. Microsoft has yet to announce the change officially, but we can safely expect it to become reality.
What do you make of the Marketplace rebranding?

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Marketplace,Microsoft,Phone,rebrand,store,Windows

From the Forums: Should HTC focus on Windows Phone and which Surface tablet would you buy?

It's that time of the week where we bring you the latest and greatest threads that have been hot on the Windows Phone Central forums the past couple of days. Our community accumulates posts at a steady rate and interesting discussions take place on a daily basis. So what has been happening over the weekend just gone?
kylej1050
has created a new thread asking the question, "Surface Pro vs RT?" Looking to replace a laptop, which Microsoft tablet would cater for his needs?

"I'm looking to replace my convertible laptop with a Surface, and I can't help but think that as nice as the Pro's functionality would be, I don't need the horsepower in my daily life and for the price difference I could program MCUs on a $300 Wal-mart special e-machine with Windows 8 next year. Only thing that's making me think otherwise is that I really really really want the full HD screen."

It's a burning question on many minds who are anticipating Microsoft's Windows 8 hardware. Should you go for more horsepower with the Pro, or sit back and relax with the cheaper RT version? Let us know in the comments what you'll be going for, as well as joining in the debate on our forums.
What should HTC do?

With the recent news of HTC continuing to drop in profits, one has to ask if there's a stable future with Android. While the company is still making ends meet and is shipping enough handsets for a tidy sum left after expenditure, would it be wise for HTC to start pushing Windows Phone more too? 12Danny123
asks exactly that,

"Do you think that after what happened to HTC. do you think that they should come back and focus more on Wp8 now. because HTC simply can't compete with Samsung in the android space. though Samsung is now putting more into Wp8 as well. So what do you guys think?"

HTC's home is Android for the foreseeable future, and there's no way it could survive with Microsoft alone, but it seems odd that the manufacturer would continue to support a platform with new handsets without promoting and supporting them like Nokia with its Lumia family of Windows Phones. Do you believe HTC should get into bed more with Microsoft? Pop into the "Do you think that HTC should focus more on WP8 now for what happened before" thread for discussion.
Miscellaneous: Why is no one talking TITAN II? 
The HTC TITAN II, a Windows Phone we rate highly for its massive screen and solid camera performance. As we mentioned above, HTC hasn't been pushing its Windows Phone line-up, which has led to the slow decline in sales and exposure. Forum member cp2_4eva
wonders why the recently purchased TITAN II isn't being talked about.

"HTC messed up I think by not pushing this and decreasing the price point as well. This phone may not have been as big as the Nokia Lumia, but still probably could have pushed more numbers. Oh, and I guess the sketchy support could be an issue as well. Nokia is being really really good with the support so far. I think I'd still get a Nokia device once WP8 drops. That was part of my reasoning for trying the titan, because I know I'm simply just going to get a WP8 device for Christmas if it's out by then."

This sits in nicely with our question about what HTC should do in the future. Would you like to see the manufacturer push harder, or do you believe it's down to carriers to take the smartphones and sell them? Voice your opinion in the "Why aren't folks talking about the TII?" thread.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: focus,Forums,Phone,Should,surface,tablet,which,Windows,would

Home Depot using Windows Phone-like kiosks in stores

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and that’s what we seem to have here at the Home Depot. According to one of our readers, Nate B., at least one of their stores has this new kiosk on display.
The obelisk looks a lot like a giant Windows Phone that’s been repositioned for the Home Depot’s uses although it retains a very Metro-Tile look and feel. Heck, the tiles even flip to reveal more info!
No word if these are going elsewhere or if Microsoft is involved but we do like the idea of Metro (or whatever it will be called) spreading around.
Check the video of it in action after the break and don’t forget, you can grab the Home Depot app for Windows Phone here. Thanks, Nate, for the video!

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Depot,kiosks,Phonelike,stores,using,Windows

Deal alert – CleverPhoto for Windows Phone is now free

We reviewed CleverPhoto way back in October 2011 and gave it quite favorable feedback:

“The layout is clean. The editing tools are enough to do a decent job at cleaning up your photos or give them an artistic feel. And as someone who has processed what feels like a bazillion photos over the years, the editing history tile is a very nice touch. It's easy to forget if you've adjusted contrast or what filter was applied and the history tile leaves no room for doubt.”

The photo editing app always stood out amongst the herd. The app fetched for $1.49 with a free trial but it is now marked as free in the Marketplace with the price drop just occurring. In addition, the app hit version 2.0 at the end of July making this a double win if you had not already purchased it...
The app has some unique features and a Metro layout that should please most casual shooters out there. So our advice? Go get it now while you can.
Pick up CleverPhoto for free in the Marketplace. Thanks, @amazing_AG, for the heads up

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: alert,CleverPhoto,Phone,Windows

Farm Frenzy 2: Pizza Party served up hot and fresh on the Windows Phone Marketplace

Over the weekend Windows Phone Central reported on a killer bug introduced in the latest Farm Frenzy 2
update. Since then, developer Alawar notified us that they are indeed aware of the problem and working on a fix. They also let us in on some good news: they have a new game on the Marketplace.
Farm Frenzy 2: Pizza Party
is an expansion to the enjoyable Xbox Live game. But unlike its predecessor, Alawar has chosen to self-publish Pizza Party as a non-Xbox Live title. The decision seems to stem from Pizza Party’s similarity to Farm Frenzy 2; it is an expansion, not a true sequel. The Farm Frenzy series is already several games large on other platforms. By publishing this one as an indie title, Alawar can get Windows Phone caught up more quickly and without publishing too many similar Xbox Live releases.
As I’ve mentioned, Pizza Party
is quite similar to the Farm Frenzy 2 many of us know and love. It offers another whopping 90 levels of time and resource management. As before, each level provides varying starting resources and goals. Most often players will need to acquire a specific number of animals or produce certain goods in order to win the level. To do that, you’ll collect whatever your animals drop, catch invading bears (?), process some goods, and sell others on the market. Money earned from completing levels can then be spent on new buildings and upgrades, which in turn allow you to process and produce new goods.
So where does the pizza come in? Pizza Party
imagines that agriculture and pizza chains are closely related. Basically, players can now make different kinds of pizzas from the goods they gather on the farm. It doesn’t change the gameplay in any major way (less so than say, Sally’s Spa compared to Sally’s Salon), but hey, that’s why it’s called Farm Frenzy 2: Pizza Party instead of Farm Frenzy 3. Fans who enjoyed the previous game will likely enjoy a big batch of new levels, and who doesn’t love pizza?
Farm Frenzy 2: Pizza Party
costs $2.99 (same as its predecessor) and there is a free trial. Get it here on the Marketplace.
View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Frenzy,Fresh,Marketplace,Party,Phone,Pizza,served,Windows

Sprint still has cold feet with Windows Phone 8

With AT&T, T-Mobile and even Verizon reportedly on board with Windows Phone 8, Sprint is the last holdout for a major US carrier in supporting Windows Phone 8. While some of our readers erroneously entertain notions that the carrier will embrace Microsoft’s next iteration of their OS, we’ve been very cautious in agreeing.
In a recent interview on All-Things D, Sprint VP David Owens is once again pouring some cold water on customer’s hopes for a big Windows Phone 8 push this fall. The carrier has 90% of their late 2012-2013 lineup already in place but what role Microsoft will play in that in unclear.
Speaking to Ina Fried, Owens notes that they are interested in Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 but they may not be the leader this fall...

“The market impact of both Windows 8 and the next iPhone are also key factors that are a bit hard to predict, Owens said.
As for Windows 8, Sprint said it wants to be actively involved, but may not lead the charge. It sees some clear opportunities but is also mindful that its last Windows Phone, the HTC Arrive, was one of the more returned products in the company’s recent history. Owens said that many buyers of that phone were coming from Android and found Windows Phone’s unique operating system hard to get used to.”

If that sounds like Sprint is distancing themselves from Microsoft we would have to agree.
We do understand that carriers need to strategically think of their next move and having caution over a new OS is certainly warranted. But we think Sprint is going to miss the boat again this fall, leaving customers high and dry (or maybe underwhelmed with a single device release).
Here at Windows Phone Central
we don’t endorse any carrier—it’s a personal choice mostly dependent on your wallet and just as importantly, your actual signal coverage. Still, although we’ve been a customer of Sprint since 2000 and are on the cost-effective SERO plan, we’re getting ready to abandon them soon and we suggest some of you start considering doing the same as the fall approaches.
Update: Another quote from Owens via Phonescoop sheds more light on the issue. Here, Owens does not commit to Windows Phone 8 exactly but notes that they will be participating:

 "We think Windows Phone 8 is a solid product that they are bringing to market. We're interested in watching it unfold over the course of the next year. And we won't be watching from the sidelines. We'll be participating. We may not lead it, but we'll participate."

To our ears that sounds like they'll dip their toe into the Windows Phone 8 pool but with only one or two devices.
Source: All Things D

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Phone,Sprint,still,Windows

Windows Phone 8 Bluetooth profile now publicly listed

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has published the profile for upcoming Windows Phone 8 on its website, which reaffirms what has been previously extracted through scouring the leaked Windows Phone 8 SDK. According to the profile listing, Apollo will support the transfer of files between smartphones.
Moving up from Windows Phone 7.5 both the headset profile and serial protocol are missing from the specification read out, while Audio/Video Remote Control and Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol are sporting new versions, 1.4 and 1.3 respectively. To top everything off, it's Bluetooth 3 and not the latest version 4, which the Apple iPhone 4S already features.
Hopefully we'll be able to see Bluetooth in action soon with upcoming Windows Phone 8 hardware.
Source: Bluetooth SIG, via: WMPU

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Bluetooth,listed,Phone,profile,publicly,Windows

Windows Essentials 2012 drops Live branding but makes up for it with new features

Windows Live Essentials has been part of most Windows Users standard installation for many years now. This familiar and ‘essentials’ set of applications does much to make Windows come to life as a useful productivity tool. Providing photo editing, movie making, blogging, email, synchronising and instant messaging apps, ‘Essentials’ forms a solid backbone for basic computing throughput when using Microsoft operating systems.
Whereas a certain other well-known fruit themed OSX has the luxury of these types of applications being built in, Microsoft decided after Vista to detangle these common apps from their OS. In part to make future updates easier to deliver and in part due to avoid any undue and potentially messy encounters with anti-trust bodies. So what’s the skinny on Essentials 2012?
Essentials and Windows 8
In many ways Essentials is left in a precarious place with Windows 8. Microsoft’s newest OS is to come with its own new set of bundled ‘apps’, pre-installed and run within the WinRT environment we once referred to as  Metro. These new touch friendly WinRT apps cover instant messaging, email and calendaring, whilst not as sophisticated or indeed as complete  as ‘Essentials’ there remains an odd overlap of functionality.
We haven’t yet seen the final WinRT apps that cover mail, calendar, photos that set to be included with Windows 8. Our guess is that the current limited functionality of current WinRT apps will be replaced over time with ever-increasing features and services, eventually obviating the need for ‘Essentials’. For now though, if you have a Windows 8 machine and want to get on with some real productivity, you’ll need to install Windows Essentials to complement the existing, functionally incomplete WinRT offerings. Hopes that Windows 8 would allow us to ditch the traditional desktop have faded fast, until the feature gaps in WinRT and its accompanying apps has been filled we’re going to be back and forth between the two environments for a while to come.
Rebranding or not?
Microsoft in their desire to dispel some of the confusing branding will be dropping the Live name from Essentials, but we find ourselves looking at Windows Live Mail rather than Windows Mail or Windows Essentials Mail. Also, Windows Live Messenger is still showing its old name. It's only Movie Maker and Photo Gallery that drop the Live name. This seems odd, Essentials 2012 will, of course be available to users of Windows 7, and perhaps changing the names of the apps too is seen as a step too far for the millions of existing users already used to that name? We’d love to know why the re-branding is incomplete as it remains confusing, perhaps even more so now.
Messenger And Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Messenger continues to look very much the same as before, the only noticeable change of note seems to be the addition of a basic green camera icon next to a contacts name. Windows Live Mail also doesn’t appear to have very much changed if at all, let’s move on…

Windows Live Messenger - Windows Essentials 2012 update shows Camera Icon in Status
There is Life beyond Live!
Expecting this to only be a rebranding exercise, it comes as a little surprise to see that some applications pick up some changes.
Photo Gallery gets a few nice updates, as well as an updated SkyDrive icon it also gains the ability to upload your videos up to Vimeo. As Photo Gallery also supports browsing videos in your collection this is a nice touch, saves it from having to live only in the Movie Maker. Photo Gallery also now has the ability to do an 'Auto Collage,' combining selected photos into a crazy patchwork hipster art student style image, wild stuff! Actually this is neat and with images that are tonally similar or with a series of similar shots the results can be interesting enough.

Choose Some Photos to Auto Collage

 Auto Collage Results - Crazy times with Lemons and Limes
Movie Maker picks up some neat additions including image stabilisation, and it can now integrate with background music services to help liven up your movies. You can now delve deeper into audio editing with some handy new tricks for emphasising video, music or narration for your projects. Text overlaid onto video also sees a minor but important ability to be outlined. Surely that will elicit a sigh of relief to those who struggled with text placement and text colour choice in the past. Best of all, the new kid on the block H.264 is now the standard video type for projects.

Video stabilisation controls Movie Maker
Final Thoughts
Essentials 2012 is rather confusing in its message. It appears on the surface to be a rebranding exercise but deeper in, the Live name still existing in abundance. If this suite of apps were to bring Essentials in line with Windows in the 2012 timeframe then the package misses its goal. On the whole the package lacks any real design pointers to Windows 8. Generally these apps continue with all the same graphical assets as before, much more in keeping with its pseudo Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7 style UI themes. It remains an odd mix of styles that keep it out of step with every OS that it’s existed on or will be run on. The latest version of Office shows what could have been done with the UI to bring it in line with Windows 8.
These applications have traditionally been at the forefront of helping showcase a new version of Windows. In many cases these applications may be the only productivity applications some users will ever own. With the arrival of Windows 8 we shall not only see duality of functionality between ‘apps’ and applications, we’ll also be darting back and forth between WinRT apps and the traditional desktop in order to get the meaty stuff done.
The message in relation to Windows 8 story is mixed: in an ideal world, apps already present in WinRT would have all the deep functionality embedded to negate installing Essentials 2012 and avoid the classic/WinRT flip flopping that can become visually distressing at times. This looks increasingly unlikely. Perhaps the touch UI challenge and re-working is too complex and too time consuming to bother?
Essentials 2012 picks up some surprising new features, and perhaps feature development hadn’t come to a standstill; there could be more updates coming. There will remain many Windows 7 machines, so future updates would be nice to keep the older OS up to speed. Alternatively, this could be the last hurrah for these desktop-orientated applications as the team moves to bring all those apps to Windows 8 new touch-friendly UI. I’m personally a long time Essentials user. I certainly hope if they do keep the applications in development for the desktop they bring the UI in line with Windows 8, ditch those ads in Messenger, and make the IM client much more like their beautiful Lync application. If Microsoft draws the line here, fingers are crossed for beautifully designed WinRT replacements of the whole suite.
Whilst many of you may not even be Windows users we’d still very much like to hear your thoughts on Windows Essentials. Was this what you’d expect from a 2012 release? What do you think of the Windows 8 apps that fill some of this functionality? Do you think MS will draw the line with these apps and go all out to get WinRT replacements or just carry on throwing Windows 8 users back into the desktop to get stuff done? We value your thoughts…always…
Download either the Full Installer or Web Install.
Source: Windows Team Blog

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: branding,drops,Essentials,features,makes,Windows

App Hub retired – meet the new Windows Phone Dev Center

Microsoft today has announced the replacement for the App Hub dev portal. It's said to have been months in the making and having the underpinnings of a more robust and scalable backend the site is available to use now.Among new feature highlights, the new website includes support of PayPal to pay for your developer account as well as be paid from the Marketplace. You are also now able to choose unique prices for each region as well as conduct far bigger beta tests encompassing thousands of testers if needed.

Interestingly the announcement goes on to mention that The Dev Center will support the in-app purchasing previously announced for Windows Phone 8. The included, ‘Whats New’ page makes it clear that it is Windows Phone 8 only that will support this model for purchasing. That quickly squashes at least one question as to whether or not WP7.5 and WP7.8 devices will be receiving these benefits. Not surprising per se, but it is good to see it in black and white, clarity is key.Country and Region Support also gets a boost, developer registration now possible in over 178 markets and you’ll be able to submit your apps to over 191 countries and regions. The site looks to be getting a nice lick of paint and some much needed love and attention in preparation for the coming Windows Phone 8 launch. A more appealing interface, as well as a more stable backend, must be a huge relief to you hard working devs out there. We have heard of occasional downtimes occurring with the App Hub. For those that like reports of all kinds the Dev Center has some fancy new graphs too.Would be very interested to hear from devs out there how you feel about the new portal. Excited about those in-app purchases for Windows Phone 8? Graphs and analytics got you hot under the collar? Please, let us know in the comments bellow.Source : Windows Team Blog
View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Center,Phone,retired,Windows

Windows Phone Central Vacation Giveaway

No... Windows Phone Central isn't giving away a vacation getaway but rather I'm on vacation and getting away for a few days. To celebrate, we thought it was a good idea to giveaway a few things.
We have the Otterbox Defender, Otterbox Communter and Amzer Shellster that was reviewed last month just lying around collecting dust. All three are fitted for the Nokia Lumia 900 and we're giving them away. All you need to do is go to this WPCentral Forums discussion and guess where the picture above was taken.
You need to guess the City and State.  "United States", "Alabama" and "on a street corner" won't count.
And you need not worry if you don't carry a Lumia 900. In your guess, just note your choice of Windows Phone and you'll get a Gift Certificate to the Accessory Store so you can pick out a case for your Windows Phone of choice. Oh... and feel free to add your favorite vacation picture to the discussion.
You'll have until August 9th at 5:00pm PST to submit your guesses. After that, we will randomly pick our winners from the correct answers. You will need to register to participate, which can be done here and make sure to note what Windows Phone you are currently using.
Good luck everyone!

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Central,Giveaway,Phone,Vacation,Windows

Windows Phone dodges Black Hat 2012 certificate vulnerability bullet - other smartphones not so lucky...

A recent paper presented at Black hat 2012 by Peter Hannay has demonstrated a vulnerability in how iOS and Android deal with certificates whilst operating with an Exchange Server. The good news in this report is that Peter was unable to trick Windows Phone 7.5 devices using the same methods.
Using a man in the middle attack combined with a generic fake certificate, they were able to gain some traction in sending a command to iOS and Android devices to commence a device wipe. When devices are connected via Active Sync they commit to accepting certain responsibilities, one of the most important and sensitive of which is the wipe command. They tested off two sets of Exchange 2010 servers. One running with a self-signed certificate, a very common configuration for small business and another using a certificate from a trusted certificate signing authority.
Android devices accepted the fake certificate and wiped with no user interaction or warning on the Exchange server that was operating using a self-signed certificate. The Android device would not wipe whilst connected to the trusted certificate-holding server.

On both the self-signed and trusted certificate servers, iOS rolled over and wiped the device in both instances, only displaying a new certificate warning white flag whilst doing so. In both cases, a normal user would likely accept the certificate warning. You know, users do that kind of thing to get on with their lives.
Windows Phone on the other hand would not accept the new certificate in either case and would need to have one manually installed for such an attack to be possible. Hopefully these papers will lead to a strengthening of security on Android and iOS devices. In the meantime, we hope that more companies would wake up to the benefits of Windows Phones. Whilst we certainly do not wish to see any ill come of this, we can at least gloat about our platform being a little more savvy when it comes to accepting gifts from strangers over Wi-Fi pineapples?
Want to read more about Wi-Fi Pineapples? Need a place to vent some steam at the injustice of certificate signing authorities? The comments are open for business; we look forward to your contribution!
Source: Blackhat 2012; via WP Sauce

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: black,bullet,certificate,dodges,lucky,other,Phone,smartphones,vulnerability,Windows

Windows Phone Game Review: LeaderFlip

I really had no clue on what to expect when I first started playing the Windows Phone game LeaderFlip
. It's a jumper game where you jump various world leaders as high as you can in an effort to reach the moon.
Now you might say, "Joy, another jumper game" but LeaderFlip
was surprising fun to play. You have enough bonuses to help boost your way up the screen (some in a rather creative way) to keep things interesting. And in the end, while I don't see playing LeaderFlip for marathon sessions, it's not a bad time waster for short bits.
The main menu for LeaderFlip
has options to view the developer's website, Facebook page, contact information and to rate the game listed beneath the world leader's mugshot (Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel). Below the mugshot you have options to play the game, shop the store for bonus items, view the online leaderboard and equip your character with items purchased at the shop.
Game play with LeaderFlip
is like every other jumper game in the Marketplace. Tap to start your jump and tilt your Windows Phone left/right to steer your character up the screen. In jumping from platform to platform, there are some rather unique bonus items. A pint of beer will give you the shakes, a whoopee cushion will give you a boost up the screen, a stick of dynamite will blast you higher, and a green pepper will give you gas that will boost you higher (sound effects and all).

You also have platforms that halt your jumps and to resume your ascent, just tap the screen. Finally, there is a propeller hat that if hit, will send you back down the screen.
The goal is to jump as high as you can and if you miss a platform, you fall to earth and the game ends. Now I've jumped a distance as high as 300 and have yet to find the moon that is mentioned in the Marketplace description and the only world leader playable is Chancellor Merkel. There's not a help section, which would have been nice, to explain when or if you get to advance to additional leaders. If the German Chancellor is all you have available, LeaderFlip
is not a complete loss because the game is a fun time waster.
LeaderFlip
does have a novelty feel to it but it also has an entertainment value that seems to grow on you. There is a trial version available to let you try before you buy and the full version of LeaderFlip is currently running $.99.
You can find LeaderFlip
here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.
View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: LeaderFlip,Phone,Review,Windows

Windows Phone sporting a 115% growth increase according to IDC data

Windows Phone has been growing at a steady rate, mainly down to advertising campaigns and brand pushes from Nokia with its Lumia family of smartphones. According to data released today by IDC, the platform has been sporting a year-on-year growth increase of 115% - not bad, eh? IDC also notes that the OS has been closing the gap between itself and Blackberry in the last quarter in the fight to become the 3rd major player in the smartphone market.

Looking at the table above we can clearly see the advances Windows Phone is making as a whole, which is very promising. Beating not only the iPhone, but Android with regards to growth with 5.4 million units reportedly being shipped in Q2 2012 (up from 2.5 million in Q2 2011). It definitely shows the platform has real potential to play catch-up. Unfortunately, according to the marketshare figures, Windows Phone (3.5%) is still a long way behind both the iPhone (16.9%) and Android (68.1%) before it poses a real thread.
Blackberry (4.8%) is dropping along with Symbian, which will provide Microsoft with the opportunity to take 3rd position in the mobile market. This would be a milestone for the platform to reach to then further increase its marketing efforts using the newly acquired position as proof that it's not only on the rise, but Microsoft is further integrating the platform with other products to increase exposure and audience.

Of course, as usual, Windows Mobile is still included with Windows Phone, so we're not quite at the 3% marker with Microsoft's new mobile platform alone. Though with Windows Phone 8 just around the corner, we like to believe the push from the software giant will be sufficient enough to further build momentum for Windows Phone while its predecessor continues to phase out.
We'd like to know your thoughts on the advances Windows Phone is making prior to Apollo being released. How do you believe Microsoft can improve their marketing strategy should they reach the 3rd position and sport full integration then available between its products and Windows Phone?
Source: IDC

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: according,growth,increase,Phone,sporting,Windows

Windows Phone Game Round-up: Platformer Games

This week's roundup takes a simple approach on things. We'll take a look at the top platformer games for your Windows Phone. With no rhyme or reason, we tapped half a dozen of the top fifty platformer games. We have a rolling ball, a running dude, ninjas without legs and temples of death.  Most are fast paced, entertaining games that are challenging enough to keep you interested without being too frustrating.

Keep in mind that if an app doesn't make the roundup it should not reflect poorly on things. These are just a collection of apps or games that have stood out to us. If we've missed an app that you think should have been included, sound off in the comments.  With 100K titles, we'd be scrolling for hours to cover them all in one round up.

Platformance Temple Death (trial version/$.99): With retro styled, pixilated graphics Platformance Temple Death is aptly named. The game calls for you to navigate through ancient temple to rescue a damsel in distress. Along the way you must avoid a wide range of dangers that can easily spoil your day.

Platformance Temple Death has over forty challenges to overcome, zoom feature to see the full map, three difficulty modes, and screenshot capability. You control your player with a virtual joystick and jump button. In just tinkering with Platformance Temple Death, it is a challenging game that is a decent time waster. There is a free trial available and the full copy will run you $.99. You can find Platformance Temple Death here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.

ORB ($1.29): ORB is a fast paced platformer game for your Windows Phone where you have to steer a rolling ball across a field of solid tiles. Sounds easy, right? The only issue is that the field of tiles has large gaps that you'll need to navigate around and if that wasn't challenging enough, there are also tiles that are mined. Roll over one of these tiles and lights out.

The path you have to navigate your ball starts out fairly wide and the further you progress, things can get a little on the narrow side. ORB is nicely drawn up, challenging and has some catching background tunes. ORB will run you $1.29 and you can find it here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Runner7 (trial version/$.99): Runner7 reminds me a lot of the old Mario Brothers games. You have the runner that you navigate across the platform jumping blocks, canyons and diving under obstacles. You don't have the evil mushrooms coming at you but there are bouncing cactuses.  All movements are done through a series of taps and swipes.

Runner7 has nine levels with the first being a tutorial to help you get used to the action controls. The retro graphics fit the style of the game but the music may drive some a little crazy. Runner7 isn't a bad game just a little short lived with only nine levels.

There is a free trial version available for Runner7 and the full version runs $.99. You can find Runner7 here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Running Dude (free version/$.99): It seems that most platform games are fast paced and Running Dude is no exception. Running Dude is a gray scale, pixilated game that has you racing from platform to platform. All the way dodging enemies and capturing boosts (jetpacks, mechanical walker, etc) to help you run as far as you can.

Running Dude also throws a few twists along the way like inverting and slanting the screen. You have two gaming modes, an online leaderboard, and plenty of action to keep you busy. There are two versions available for Running Dude available at the Windows Phone Marketplace. An ad-supported free version and a $.99 ad-free version.

Legless Ninja (trial version/$1.49): Legless Ninja is an interest game for your Windows Phone. Graphics have paper cutouts for your ninja (who has no legs) and the ninja stars you collect. You race across a "hand drawn" styled platform with a similar backdrop.

The object is to see how far you can survive by jumping over, ducking under, and dashing past dangers. There are four difficulty levels and awards to be earned (online leaderboard in development). Legless Ninja is a fast paced, challenging game for your Windows Phone.

There is a free trial version available for Legless Ninja and the full version is running $1.49. You can find it all here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Fastball 2 (free version/$.99): Fastball 2, in many ways, is a profile version of ORB. You race a red ball across a platform jumping gaps and obstacles along the way.

Just tap the screen to have the ball jump to avoid all the dangers. Fastball 2 is a multi-level game (130 levels) that progressively becomes more challenging. You even have a store you can choose different ball types from.

There are two versions of FastBall 2 available on the Windows Phone Marketplace. You have a free, ad-supported version and a $1.99 ad-free version.

So there you have it.  A round-up of some of the top platformer games over at the Windows Phone Marketplace.  You also have Doodle Jump, Gravity Guy, MonsterUP, Escape from Heaven and many more quality platformer games on the Marketplace.  If you have a favorite, sound off in the comments and let us know what you like.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Games,Phone,Platformer,Roundup,Windows

Windows Phone Central Ringtone Contest Winners! (Updated)

While we had hoped to announce the winners of the Windows Phone Central Ringtone Contest yesterday, judging proved to be more difficult than expected. We had a lot of quality entries submitted over in our Forums Discussion.  Nonetheless, after listening to all the entries our Ringtone Contest Winners are:

All have won a Nokia Play 360! We are dispatching emails to get everyone's shipping information and will get the Nokia Play headed their way shortly.

We would also like to extend our congratulations to Elvis7 and Kyle H for being randomly selected for our weekly prizes, WPCentral Accessory Store gift card, during the contest period.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest and if you didn't win, don't give up hope. We've got a few more contests up our sleeves for next month.

Update: It has come to our attention that one of the entries selected as a winning entry may not be original content, which was a requirement.  That entry is under review and we will update the post shortly.

Update II: Okay... we've review things and the ringtone in question was not original content and disqualified.  We've looked over the entries that and have chosen our third winner.  Congrats to all.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Central,Contest,Phone,Ringtone,Updated,Windows,Winners

Windows Phone Game Review: Ape The Wall

Ximad has released some interesting games for our Windows Phone such as Bubble Birds, Pandas vs. Ninjas and De-Bugs Pool. Ape The Wall follows suit and is another entertaining game from Ximad that has hit the Windows Phone Marketplace.

The object of Ape The Wall is to guide your ape up the sides of buildings, canyons, or trees. All the while avoiding balconies, satellite dishes, alley cats, coyotes, tree limbs and various objects that mysteriously drop from above. There are two game modes and a hand full of power-ups to help you climb higher.

All in all, Ape The Wall is an entertaining game from Ximad and a nice time waster.

The main menu of Ape The Wall has options to enter the game, access the game's settings (sound/music on/off), view the high scores (Scoreloop integration) and exit the game. When you make the jump to play the game you have to game modes to choose from, Survival and Campaign.

Survival is simply that... climbing and surviving for as long as you can. The Campaign Mode has ten levels in the Urban setting that has you climbing to reach a goal.

Within each mode you have a choice of scenes to choose as well. Survival has a Urban, Forest, Canyon and a "Coming Soon" scene. The Campaign mode has the Urban scene and the other three are marked "Coming Soon".

Game play is simple. As the ape climbs, just tap the screen to have him jump from one side of the screen to the other to avoid the dangers. Along the way you can jump on eagles, airplanes and owls to fly you up the screen. You can jump on the cats, lizards and bears up the screen as well.

Overall, Ape The Wall is a fun game. Animations and graphics are nicely done, game play is challenging enough to keep you interested, and with the two game modes and multiple scenes there is plenty of gaming to prevent the game from getting stale too quickly.

The only nit I have with the game is that there are too many ads. The banner ad isn't that annoying but the transition ads can get old. You do have a skip button to shorten the interruption and I understand the need for ads but still it would be nice if you could dial it back a little.

Ape The Wall is a free, ad supported game that you can grab here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Phone,Review,Windows