iLOL’d – now with even more lulz

iLOL’d – now with even more lulz

March 1, 2013 | By crazy-hot apps

It’s been around for a while, and it’s allowed thousands of users to laugh a little during the day, or pass those dreary hours at work. Of course, I’m talking about iLOL’d, the app that will have you ROFL at the crazy things people, their pets, and their devices do on a daily basis. The newest release adds even more LOLs, with the addition of LOLCats to the mix of blogs.

There’ve been a ton of updates over the last year – nearly one a month. Today, the random mode is better (especially for blogs with many items), the tile now flips when pinned to your start screen (cool!), you can backup your favorite LOLs to the cloud, and there are of course even more blogs to laugh at. The fact that you can also jump between blogs and have the app remember where you left off is also a nice plus!

So, what are you waiting for – download the app while you still have a job, and check out the blogs below. You may be sorry, but only because you’ll have to wait a few more minutes to go home!

• LOLCats
• NOT your best day
• Damn Funny Texts
• Damn You Autocorrect
• Parent Fails
• The Worst Stuff Ever
• Wrong Number Texts
• Why, Siri, Why?
• Awkward Names
• Epic WTFs
• Invisible Cats
• Work LOLs
• Get Out of the Mirror
• LOLDogs
• FAIL Blog
• Demotivational

Have suggestions? The creators – crazy-hot solutions – are known for updating
their apps frequently and based on user feedback so sending feedback through the app is sure to get a quick response.

iLOL’d is available now for download on the marketplace, and is of course FREE.

- See more at: http://wmpoweruser.com/#sthash.aZXmQ6Xo.dpuf

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NetApplications: Windows Phone continues steady growth in February as Blackberry plunges

NetApplications: Windows Phone continues steady growth in February as Blackberry plunges

March 1, 2013 | By Surur

It seems Blackberry’s expensive new white elephant will not save it from being overtaken by Windows Phone in mobile browser share in March, as the operating system has continued to lose market share as measured by NetApplications (and nearly everyone else).

Currently standing at 1.39% market share and rapidly falling, it would take a miracle for it not to be overtaken by Windows Phone in March.

At the same time Windows Phone continues to make steady market share gains, currently standing at 1.24%, a rate of growth which has been relatively consistent, despite February not being a holiday month.

Windows Phone is currently in a struggle with Blackberry for the 3rd ecosystem, with Blackberry recently having made a play with Blackberry 10, but which is had little impact in slowing losses so far, despite claims by Blackberry management of robust sales.

Net Applications uses data captured from 160 million unique visitors each month by monitoring 40,000 Web sites.  The numbers do not tell us exactly how large the installed base is, but is a reflection of how many active internet users the platform has.

- See more at: http://wmpoweruser.com/#sthash.aZXmQ6Xo.dpuf

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Microsoft Releases Windows Phone Dev Center App For Developers

Microsoft Releases Windows Phone Dev Center App For Developers

February 25, 2013 | By Pradeep

Microsoft today announced the availability of Windows Phone Dev Center for developers. Windows Phone developers can now use this app on their Windows Phone device to keep track of app download data and crash trends, payments, key metrics, etc,.

App Description:

Good app developers know how to keep their customers happy. The Windows Phone Dev Center app (preview) gives you all that great data about how your app is doing in the real world to help you make it the best it can be. Access download and crash trends, and read user reviews quickly from your phone.

IMPORTANT: This app requires a Windows Phone Dev Center account and won’t work without one.

Key features:
• Secure connection to Windows Phone Dev Center.
• Downloads and crash trends for 5d, 1m, 6m, and 1y periods.
• User reviews translated to a language of your choice.
• Live Tile updates of new downloads and crashes.
• Ability to share links to your apps.
• Payment info.

Download it here from Windows Phone Store for free.

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Dead or Alive By kenga

Dead or Alive

February 26, 2013 | By kenga

Dead or Alive v1.0 Fun App For All AgesOk you are sitting around with some friends and the discussion turn to is ‘famous person’ dead or alive – well wonder no more. Pull out this app and do a lookup.Maybe you are wondering who was born on this day or who died on this day – look no further this app may have the info you need.What to know who is having a birthday on this day – you guessed it try this app

Features:

• Look up by surname
• List by birthday on today’s date
• Died on this date
• Born on this date

Fun app and Free – now that is a dealThe Kenga Team… (www.facebook.com/KGapps)

Install DeadorAlive here

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Nokia Play To DLNA app for Windows Phone 8 now in the Betalabs

Nokia Play To DLNA app for Windows Phone 8 now in the Betalabs

February 26, 2013 | By Surur

Its been a long and perplexing wait, but Nokia’s Play To DLNA app for Windows Phone 8 is now available at Nokia Betalabs.

The app allows you to stream music, video and pictures to a compatible DLNA receiver, such as an Xbox 360.

Nokia warns the Beta app is not production quality yet and will need the following firmware or greater to work:

• Nokia Lumia 920 – PR1.1 (1232.5951.1249.0001)
• Nokia Lumia 820 – PR1.1 (1232.5951.1249.0001)
• Nokia Lumia 822 – PR1.1
• Nokia Lumia 810 – PR1.1
• Nokia Lumia 620 – Any firmware

It will unfortunately not work with the PS3 yet.

Read more about the app at Betalabs here.

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HTC promises new Windows Phones this year, but don’t expect big screens, HTC One elements

HTC promises new Windows Phones this year, but don’t expect big screens, HTC One elements

February 26, 2013 | By Surur

Speaking to CNET Asia, HTC’s Vice President of Global Planning made it clear the company would continue to support Windows Phone, but that they are not too happy with the OS.

"We are actually fully committed to our Windows Phone business. We do have good collaboration with Microsoft for a future release this year," said Tai Ito, HTC’s vice president for Global Product Planning.

"I understand that Windows Phone 8 is not as good as the market expected, we think that it could take time and we will continue working with them."

He added that there are likely no plans for a larger-screen Windows Phone handset (like the HTC Titan) for now, saying that while the company "wishes to have bigger displays", it needs to find the right way for consumers based on "real human data".

Ito further said that we likely won’t see design elements from the HTC One on upcoming Windows Phone devices, saying that the company is taking a "family approach to separation". HTC has already said features like their new “ultrapixel camera” will not be coming to their Windows Phone handsets.

Its hard not to see why the company would be disappointed by their WP8 sales results – while their current generation of Windows Phones are attractive, they have been marginalized by Nokia’s offerings, meaning HTC gets a very small cut of an already small pie.  Somehow I am not expecting too much from HTC for the next wave of handsets in Fall 2013.

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Orange CEO not the greatest fan of Windows Phone, thinks it lacks the “wow factor”

Orange CEO not the greatest fan of Windows Phone, thinks it lacks the “wow factor”

February 26, 2013 | By Surur

Orange CEO Stephane Richard  is not the biggest fan of Windows Phone.  Speaking to AllthingsD about competition for the iPhone/Android duopoly, he said:

“There is probably not room for everyone, but all of us hope that among those initiatives, at least one will be able to emerge as a third ecosystem.”

He continued, saying said that Windows Phone has a “very difficult” road to truly compete with iOS and Android. Richard said devices running the Microsoft-developed operating system are neither better designed nor cheaper, nor do they offer a better application experience than iOS or Android.

“The Nokia family in my opinion is nice, but there is no ‘wow’ effect,” Richard said. “When you have a market with very steady players like Apple and Samsung, you need to have a ‘wow’ effect.”

Oddly he was a bigger fan of Blackberry,  praising the work of CEO Thorsten Heins and the new leadership there, though he still expected them to have a tough road.

“He is doing a great job, but I am not sure they will be successful,” Richard said. “At least they have a basis of very faithful users, which is not the case of Nokia.”

Underlining his obviously poor impression of Windows Phone, he noted operators were selling Windows Phones for the same price as more popular devices, implying presumably that the OS was only good for cut-price handsets.

Unfortunately Richard’s view is shared by many who just do not get that Windows Phone was specifically designed to be minimalist and elegant, rather than brash and loud like Android. Given the steady headway the OS has made, underlined by recent Kantar numbers, it seems however that the message is getting though to at least some segments of the buying public.

Do our readers think Windows Phone is suffering from lacking a flashy UI with a “wow” factor, like Android and Blackberry 10? Let us know below.

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Nokia Officially Announces Nokia Lumia 720 Mid-range Windows Phone 8 Device

Nokia Officially Announces Nokia Lumia 720 Mid-range Windows Phone 8 Device

February 25, 2013 | By Pradeep

At Mobile World Congress event today, Nokia revealed their mid-range Windows Phone 8 device Nokia Lumia 720. Nokia Lumia 720 is the successor to the Windows Phone 7.5 based Nokia Lumia 710. It will sport the following specs,

• 4.3 inch ClearBlack Display
• 1Ghz Dual-core processor
• 512Mb RAM
• 8GB Memory
• microSD card support
• 6MP Primary Camera
• 2MP front camera

The device will cost around €249 and will be available in coming months starting March.
Full specs after break.

Specs:

Networks:

• GSM/EDGE: 850 (5)/900 (8)/1800 (3)/1900 (2) MHz
• WCDMA: 850 (5)/900 (8)/1900 (2)/2100 (1) MHz
• HSPA+: 21 Mbps, (Cat 14)

OS: Windows Phone 8, GDR1

CPU: MSM8227, 1.0 GHz

RAM: 512 MB

Storage: 8 GB + microSD Card Slot

Display: 4.3” ClearBlack WVGA LCD, 2.25 D Glass, Super Sensitive Touch

Camera:

• Back: 6.7 MPIX, BSI, Auto-Focus, Carl Zeiss, LED flash, HD 720p @ at 30 fps
• Front: Skype HD wide angle (1.3Mpix)

Connectivity: NFC, A-GPS+GLONASS, WLAN (2.4/5Ghz) a/b/g/n, µUSB, BT 3.0, 3D Accelerometer, Proximity, Magnetometer, Automatic Light Sensor. (No Gyroscope).

Battery: 2000 mAh battery + Wireless Charging Cover Accessory; standby 520hrs, talk time 13.5hrs

Audio: 2 HAAC (high-amplitude audio capture) mics, HD Voice (wideband audio, noise cancellation)

Size: 127.9 x 67.5 x 9mm

Weight: 128g

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LG not announcing anything Windows Phone at MWC 2013

LG not announcing anything Windows Phone at MWC 2013

February 24, 2013 | By Surur

There was a rumour that LG would announce a Windows Phone 8 handset at Mobile World Congress, according to an article in the Korea Times.

Now however an LG representative has poured some cold water on that idea, saying LG has no immediate plans to sell a Windows Phone 8 handset.

"We want to give customers what they ask for," an LG representative told CNET. "When there’s a significant market for it, we will be on board."

LG has instead decided to be one of the first to ship a phone running on Mozilla’s Firefox mobile OS, an OS which smartphone buyers have of course been crying out for.

LG last released a Windows Phone in 2010, and has already pre-announced a new Optimus range running Android for later this year.

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WhatsApp updated once again to version 2.9.4, may have fixed issues caused by 2.9.3

WhatsApp updated once again to version 2.9.4, may have fixed issues caused by 2.9.3

February 24, 2013 | By Surur

WhatsApp is not having a lot of luck, with many users complaining after the last update, or possibly the one before, they have been having difficulties and crashes launching the app.

At least Microsoft is approving apps fast these days however, as WhatsApp has just pushed out another update, version 2.9.4.

As usual there is no changelog, and nothing obvious new this time, but in the review section of the app some users are saying it has solved their crash on start-up issues.

The latest version can be found here.  Have our readers found it better? Let us know below.

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Some more marketing renders for the Nokia Lumia 520 and Nokia Lumia 720

Some more marketing renders for the Nokia Lumia 520 and Nokia Lumia 720

February 25, 2013 | By Surur

Making the most of the few hours until Nokia’s official Mobile World Congress announcement, evleaks have posted some more marketing renders of the Nokia Lumia 520 and 720.

The pictures reveal nothing new, except to possible show the low-end Nokia Lumia 520’s shape a bit better.

I think what is more interesting is that nothing related to the Nokia Laser for Verizon has shown up, indicating I think that we will probably not see this handset at Mobile World Congress tomorrow.

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Missed Church Today? Try Roman Catholic Daily Readings

Missed Church Today? Try Roman Catholic Daily Readings

February 25, 2013 | By g4mb10r

According to the 2012 census, the number of Roman Catholics of the world is about 1.196 billion. Smartphones can be of great help to the faithful.

Roman Catholic Daily Readings, is an app that delivers just what the title promises.  Opening the app shows the Roman Catholic daily mass readings for the current day. It also allows you to share them via email, SMS or social networks.  On Windows Phone 8 you can even have the app speak the readings aloud for you.

Roman Catholic Daily Readings can be downloaded here or by using the QR code.

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Nokia Location Apps, Now Known As HERE Suite Available For All Windows Phone 8 Users

Nokia Location Apps, Now Known As HERE Suite Available For All Windows Phone 8 Users

February 25, 2013 | By Pradeep

At MWC press event held today, Nokia announced that its exclusive map and navigation apps are now re-branded as HERE Maps, HERE Drive Beta, and HERE Transit.

Also Nokia announced that HERE Maps, HERE Drive Beta, and HERE Transit is now available to all Windows Phone 8 users in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the U.K., and U.S. You can download them on your HTC 8X or your favorite other vendor Windows Phone 8 device.

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New Nokia Lumia 720 And Nokia Lumia 520 Availability And Pricing

New Nokia Lumia 720 And Nokia Lumia 520 Availability And Pricing

February 25, 2013 | By Pradeep

Nokia today announced two new Lumia devices, new Lumia 720 and Lumia 520. Both these Windows Phone 8 devices will be available around the world in coming months. Nokia shared specific information about roll out of both these devices as below.

Nokia Lumia 720:

The Lumia 720 will be available from about €249 before VAT, rolling out from March 2013 and is available in red, white, cyan, black and yellow. The Lumia 720 will be introduced to China in a TD SCDMA variant – bringing this smartphone to the world’s biggest market with the world’s biggest mobile operator.

Nokia Lumia 620:

All these great experiences come at an estimated starting price of €139 before taxes and subsidies.If you can’t wait to get your hands on the Nokia Lumia 520, it’s planned to start shipping in March – arriving first in Hong Kong and Vietnam, but it will quickly start to reach more markets around Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. It will even be coming to the US with T-Mobile and to China with China Mobile as the latest smartphone from Nokia to be sold by the world’s largest mobile operator.

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Here what we have all been waiting for! The Nokia Wireless car charger (CR-200)

Here what we have all been waiting for! The Nokia Wireless car charger (CR-200)

February 25, 2013 | By Surur

In what was in the end a rather low-key announcement, the most exciting element for existing Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 users was the announcement of the Nokia Wireless Car Charger (CR-200).

The accessory will allow users to simply drop their phone in the cradle and start charging, and the presence of NFC in the accessory means users will be able to launch their GPS Navigation or Podcasting app automatically (with a confirmation prompt of course).

The dock works both in portrait and landscape mode, will cost around 69 Euro and hit the market in May.

How about the rest of our Nokia Lumia 920 owning readers? Let us know below.

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Grey Nokia Lumia 920 now being shipped in Russia

Grey Nokia Lumia 920 now being shipped in Russia

February 23, 2013 | By mifkys

A few of days ago pre-orders opened for the elusive Grey Nokia Lumia 920, and today, according to the official Nokia Conversations Russia blog, the handsets will be shipping to future owners.

According the Nokia Russia, the  the thrill of single shade of gray is quite different:

The Matt machine is very pleasant to the touch and calm in appearance. It is striking how the texture and colour transforms the device, when it is still the the the same Nokia Lumia 920, with the same weight, the same size, and the feeling of others.

In China Nokia is charging a premium for the Cyan handset.  Maybe Nokia should consider charging a little more for the Grey version.  I know I would certainly add a little more for the very unique colour.

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WhatsApp receives another update, adds large live tile, hopefully bug fixes

WhatsApp receives another update, adds large live tile, hopefully bug fixes

February 23, 2013 | By Surur

Mere days after releasing update 2.9.2, and after much complaints in the review section in the Windows Phone Store, WhatsApp has released another update, to version 2.9.3, for the app.

The update appears to add large profile pictures, a large live tile with recent messages and hopefully the bug fixes which users who just updated to version 2.9.2 are screaming for.

The latest version can be found here.  Have our readers found it better? Let us know below.

Via Plaffo.com, thanks Arbnor for the tip.

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Gameboy Advanced Emulator now in the Windows Phone 8 Store

Gameboy Advanced Emulator now in the Windows Phone 8 Store

February 24, 2013 | By Surur

The developer of the SNES8X emulator has now ported the Visual Boy Advanced Emulator to Windows Phone 8.

The app features full audio support and supports both portrait and landscape mode, and imports ROMs via SkyDrive, with many ROMs available here.

The games look great in the app, and the sound is pretty good, if often scratchy.  The app comes with a free trial and the full version costs £2.29.

Find the app in the Windows Phone Store here.

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Sports Direct adopts Nokia Lumia 820 as corporate smartphone

Sports Direct adopts Nokia Lumia 820 as corporate smartphone

February 24, 2013 | By Surur

NokNok.tv reports that Nokia’s Lumia range has found another corporate adoptee.

Jay Lyford, IT Manager at Sports Direct, a UK sportswear company which has 18,000 employees,  spoke about the choices behind deciding on the Nokia Lumia 820.

“Over the past year or so, we’ve been pressed by the need for managers to be more connected on the go,” says Mr Lyford. “We needed to make sure they had the right devices, enabling managers to take pictures of stock and check, receive and send email on the road.”

“We have been using Nokia’s Lumia range of smartphones since they first launched in October 2011 as we were keen to get a foothold with the Windows Phone operating system,” added Mr Lyford. “We are a Microsoft house through and through and Nokia’s Lumia devices are perfectly suited to our needs.”

The company has previously used Windows Phone 7.5 Nokia Lumia 710 and 800 handsets, but have now upgraded to Windows Phone 8.

“Company Hub allows us to push vital apps, company updates and important communications to users’ devices. Quite simply the Nokia Lumia 820, working with the rest of our Microsoft environment, makes communication across the estate simple and delivers a great end-user experience,” he said

He also expounded on the advantages of Windows Phone over their older Blackberry solution.

“Moving away from BlackBerry meant we could give smartphones to more people because there were no more monthly licence fees to pay, or any increased monthly subscriptions,” explains Mr Lyford. “With yearly savings of approximately £14,400, we are now able to drastically increase the number of email-capable phones in use.”

“Security is very important, especially with such a large user base. We didn’t consider iOS or Android as we are not able to manage individual devices as we would like, nor are we able to secure them.”

User satisfaction with the solution has also been good.

“They love the new Lumia devices because they’re smart, quick and have great functionality,” says Mr Lyford.

The latest news follows the news that Mall of America, Foxtons and Coca cola have also added Windows Phone as an enterprise solution, which can only help adoption and sales of Windows Phone in general.

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Evernote, Blink And Mehdoh Apps Updated In Windows Phone Store

Evernote, Blink And Mehdoh Apps Updated In Windows Phone Store

February 24, 2013 | By Pradeep

Lots of apps are getting updated in Windows Phone Store in the past few days. WhatsApp, Nokia’s apps, WeatherFlow, etc, got updated with new features. Below are some more apps that got updated with little changes.

Evernote:

• Fixes reported sync issues
• Fixes issue with sleep mode and resume editing
• Fixes reported crashes

Mehdoh:

• Support for Vine videos
• Support for Flickr photos
• Fix for searching with certain languages
• Improved error reporting for Pocket and Instapaper

Blink:

No official change log provided. But the app now works on Lumia 620 devices as opposed to the previous v1.1.

Find the updates in Windows Phone Store on your device.

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Nokia to lower Lumia prices in IMEA

Nokia to lower Lumia prices in IMEA

February 21, 2013 | By Surur

In an interview with the Times of India Nokia’s senior vice president (India, Middle East & Africa) D Shivakumar said Nokia was planning to adjust its prices of its Lumia range to make them more affordable to consumers in the India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) region.

The statement was made in response to the question of Lumias selling better in more well-off regions.

Shivakumar said:

You will see more traction as we plan to expand the Lumia range and make it more affordable. Most markets in the IMEA region, except South Africa, have embraced the open-distribution model where handsets are not subsidised by service providers. Worldwide, there are two different business models — one, where the handset is subsidised by the operator, and the other where a consumer buys the phone independently. Since it is the latter model in most IMEA markets, Nokia aims to have a range of value points for it to attract various types of customers.

He went on to say Nokia would continue to work with Microsoft to take the Lumia range to newer markets and price points, though the ASHA line will remain the main revenue generator in the region.

Explaining the company’s strategy he said:

Lumia will be our prime challenger in the top-end and we will extend the range with newer products and a wider price band. We will also swiftly establish Asha as a smartphone as we reckon that the Asha Full Touch will be a huge bite for young consumers looking for entertainment and social experience. The third leg of our strategy involves building in future disruptions as and when they come in like we did with the PureView 41 megapixel phone.

Nokia is expected to announce between 2-4 Lumia devices at Mobile World Congress, which will likely epitomise this strategy, with a range of cheaper handset to increase the addressable market and a few high end Windows Phones with disruptive technology.

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