Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Windows Phone 7 gets Visual Basic support


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ilverlight arrives

SMARTPHONE DEVELOPERS who fancy fumbling around with Visual Basic (VB) can now code Windows Phone 7 applications using the Microsoft Windows applications programming language.

Microsoft was full of good news for developers because alongside VB support, developers can code Silverlight applications within VB and submit them for Windows Phone Marketplace approval. Silverlight is the Vole's video format that has taken the web by storm, or rather, caused a storm on the web.

Microsoft reportedly planning Phone 7 update


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Playing catch up

Microsoft is rumoured to be readying a major Windows Phone 7 update. While it might seem a bit odd to update a relatively fresh OS, it appears that WP7 simply isn’t doing too well against Android and iOS devices.

The update should include some form of multitasking, as well as copy/paste support. One might say that these crucial features should have been included from the get-go, but then again it’s a clear case of better late than never.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Windows Phone 7 gets jailbroken


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Following the lead of IOS

SMARTPHONE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Microsoft has joined Apple by having its locked down Windows Phone 7 (WP7) operating system jailbroken.

A clever trio of developers have managed to figure out a way to install applications without going to the Vole's WP7 Marketplace. The ability to load applications this way, known as sideloading, was previously only possible for those who had Marketplace developer accounts.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Microsoft claims it has 15,000 WP7 developers


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Almost everyone who bought a phone

MOBILE ALSO-RAN Microsoft has announced it now has 15,000 developers creating applications for its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system (WP7), with around 3,000 applications available.

The Vole is trying to spin this as a good sign for WP7. Earlier this month it had 13,000 developers.

In other words Microsoft is telling us that since the launch WP7 it has had a 15 per cent increase in its developer community.

Konami: Android, WP7 ''Not Good'' for Games


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Konami President, Shinji Hirano states WP7 and Android lack the proper app-store models to be successful in gaming

In an interview with CNN last week, Shinji Hirano discussed Konami's recent shift in strategy aimed to create simple games that can be played on mobile devices and websites for free.

Hopefully this is good news for us contra fans.

One of the strategies Hirano discussed was adding social networking features to its games in order to compete with other big game studios that are moving in that direction.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

WP7 Prevents Hacks via ''Genuine Software''


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It's like Windows Genuine Advantage, but on the phone.

ZoomWindows Phone Central reports that Microsoft has implemented a Genuine Software checker into Windows Phone 7, mimicking the company's nagging Genuine Advantage software found in Windows-based desktop and notebook PCs.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Windows Phone 7 to Hit Verizon During Holidays


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It’s a Christmas miracle!

Back in September Verizon revealed that it wouldn’t be getting any Windows Phone 7 devices at all until the start of 2011. Though the reason we wouldn’t be seeing any Verizon handsets until next year was initially not known, it later emerged that Microsoft had elected to produce GSM-only WP7 devices until 2011.

"We had to make some trade-offs," product manager Greg Sullivan said in an interview with CNet at the time. "Even Microsoft doesn't have unlimited resources. We had to prioritize doing fewer things, really, really well."

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Windows Phone 7 Mass Storage Mode Revealed


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A simple registry edit turns your WP7 device into a USB drive.

MobileTechWorld has discovered that Windows Phone 7 can be used as a mass storage device. According to the site, there's no "hacking" involved, as the feature is native to Windows Phone 7 but turned off by default. Users simply need to alter the Windows registry on the PC to re-activate USB drive mode support.

Windows Phones Break Users' Memory Cards


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Yes, memory cards are supported, but Microsoft's latest OS seems to have a host of bizarre restrictions

There was much speculation over whether Microsoft would support memory cards in its Windows Phone 7 lineup, following comments by its project leaders indicating that it might not. Well the phones finally hit the market last week and some models did have memory card support. But perhaps it would have been better if they didn't.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Final Thoughts: HTC Surround Review


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Microsoft has learned a lot from Windows Mobile, and is dead set on not repeating history. Chief among those things is that differing experiences on every device running supposedly the same operating system results in chaos and confusion.

The result is that manufacturers making WP7 devices will differentiate their products in ways other than carrier skins. The HTC Surround is perhaps the best example of a manufacturer trying something different, placing a huge emphasis on sound. Given how much inspiration WP7 draws from Zune, it isn’t surprising. Like anything of course, the result is a trade-off; the Surround is thicker and heavier than the Samsung Focus, but doesn’t come with a keyboard like the LG Quantum.