Windows Phone

Pictures of possible early Nokia Lumia 950 leaked

Could this be one of the next Nokia Lumias that'll be hitting the market soon?

According to Windows Phone Central, the above image may be a picture of an early (and rather drab) prototype model of the Lumia 950.

The site further goes on to note that its possible specs include an AMOLED touch screen with a 1,280x768-pixel resolution, 2GB of RAM, and an extended battery life.

We here at CNET have to throw our hats in and say that this photo looks like a no-go. And personally, I think it looks more like a midlevel LG Optimus … Read more

T-Mobile to Lumia 810 users: No LTE for you

Nokia Lumia 810 owners hoping for an update to 4G LTE are out of luck.

The Lumia 810's hardware can support both HSPA+ and LTE; however, T-Mobile has confirmed that an update to LTE isn't going to happen -- at least not at this point, according to a statement sent to CNET today:

While the Nokia Lumia 810 features a chipset, which provides the hardware capability to support both HSPA+42 and LTE, the device will not automatically access our LTE network and, at this time, it will not receive an update to do so.

T-Mobile is committed … Read more

Windows Phone outships iPhone in some countries

Windows Phone is outshining the iPhone in several countries. But relax, Apple, there is an explanation.

In a blog posted Tuesday, Microsoft corporate communications VP Frank Shaw cited an IDC report revealing that Windows Phone has reached 10 percent market share in a number of countries. Along with that milestone, Windows Phone has outshipped Apple's iPhone in seven markets across the globe.

Shaw didn't divulge the names of those seven markets. But IDC did and explained why Windows Phone has a foothold in those regions.

Speaking with The New York Times yesterday, IDC analyst Kevin Restivo said that … Read more

Pandora debuts ad-free app for Windows Phone 8

Pandora has tuned up a Windows Phone 8 app that's both free and ad-free.

Available as of today in the Windows Phone store, the app offers all the standard features for Pandora listeners.

You can create up to 100 different stations based on your tastes in music. You can tell Pandora what you like and don't like by giving each song a thumb's up or thumb's down.

You can filter certain songs that you won't want to hear and flip on a switch for higher-quality audio. Existing Pandora users can log in with their current … Read more

Microsoft ad touts Nokia Lumia over Samsung Galaxy S3

Would your average Galaxy S3 owner trade in their phone for a Nokia Lumia 920? That's Microsoft's angle for its latest promotional spot.

The new Windows Phone Challenge ad finds Ben Rudolph, Microsoft's director for Windows Phone Experiential Marketing, aka Ben the PC Guy, trying to convince "Brittany" that the Lumia 920 can take a better photo than can her Galaxy S3. If she prefers her phone, she gets $100.

Naturally, the photo snapped by the Lumia shows a bright, clear, crisp image, while the one taken by the S3 is dark and blurry. And … Read more

Nvidia CEO says Windows RT is disappointing

Windows RT has turned out to be pretty "disappointing" so far, the chief executive of chipmaker Nvidia said today.

Jen-Hsun Huang, speaking during a meeting with analysts at Nvidia's conference for developers, noted that devices using the software -- such as Microsoft's Surface RT and Asus Vivo Tab RT -- aren't selling very well.

"Windows RT is disappointing to us because we expected to have sold more than we did," Huang said. "Everybody expected to have sold more than we did."

He said the next question is: How important is Windows … Read more

Skype for Windows Phone 8 adds HD video support

"Am I making myself clear?" takes on a whole new meaning now that Windows Phone 8 users can chat with their Skype contacts in high-definition video.

Out today, version 2.4 of Skype for Windows Phone 8 taps into the hardware acceleration in Microsoft's mobile OS to enable high-quality video calls.

Lower-end phones will deliver VGA video. But higher-end devices, such as the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC Windows Phone 8X, and Samsung Ativ S, can amp that up to 720P HD video, Skype said today in a blog about the new version.

The app automatically sets the … Read more

Microsoft to end Windows Phone 7.8 and 8 support in 2014

Microsoft has put an end date on its support for Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8.

The company's support page lists both operating systems, and says that Windows Phone 7.8 will be supported through September 9, 2014, while Windows Phone 8 will receive support through July 8, 2014.

The difference is based on Microsoft's life cycle start date and its decision to support platforms for 18 months. Microsoft pegs the Windows Phone 8 start date at December 14 and Windows Phone 7.8 at February 9.

Windows Phone 8 is the latest and most featured-packed … Read more

Samsung calls demand for Windows 'lackluster'

Samsung mobile chief J.K. Shin offered some less-than-stellar observations about Microsoft in an interview published last night.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Shin said his company sees "lackluster demand for Windows-based products in Europe." And elsewhere around the world, he said, Microsoft's software efforts in smartphones and tablets are not going so well either.

"Smartphones and tablets based on Microsoft's Windows operating system aren't selling very well," Shin told the Journal, ostensibly referring to both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. "There is a preference in the market … Read more