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All posts tagged "marketplace"


Thursday, March 8, 2012

Windows 6.5 Marketplace to be Discontinued Soon

Posted by Adan Galvan in "Windows Phone News" @ 06:00 PM

Today Microsoft sent out an email to users stating that on May, 9, 2012 the Windows Mobile 6.X Marketplace will no longer be available. The email reminds users that their apps will continue to work even after the marketplace is shut-down. However, there will be no updates, so users are advised to download any updates to ensure the best operation. Also this is a sad thing, this should come as no surprise. Many felt let down when Microsoft redesigned Windows Mobile and released Windows Phone. The stripped down Windows Phone may have been a disappointment to some, but others (myself included) felt the change was necessary and for the best in the long run. Hopefully those users and developers of Windows Mobile will continue to support the platform now that the transition is nearing completion.


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Quad Camera: Burst Mode For WP7

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 07:00 PM

"Quad Camera for your Windows Phone is another special effects tool for your Windows Phone camera. Quad Camera gives your camera the ability to shoot in burst mode, frame all the images together and gives you the ability to create some rather interesting photos. From action sequences to unique portraits, Quad Camera is another app that will extend your camera's capabilities."

I use burst mode extensively on my point and shoot - with an active daughter, single shots might turn out better, but it's a lot harder to get that perfect photo. That's obviously something I've missed with WP7's onboard camera. Now along comes this app that offers at least a limited way of getting that perfect shot. Quad Camera is available for a hair under a dollar from the Marketplace.


Sunday, December 11, 2011

XBox Companion App For Windows Phone

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/a...fe-09c862ca6dd9

If you're an XBox user, you're going to love this - Microsoft has come up with an official companion app for Windows Phone that allows you to connect and control your XBox. Sounds real nice. If you're interested, give it a try.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Radar: Finding Your Way Back

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 02:00 AM

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/a...78-2eb8f4cf7c56

"A must-have application for parking, going to the countryside or travelling abroad...If you leave a place and want to return there later, just turn Radar on and select the place with one click. Then, when you want to go back, turn Radar on, and it will show you the way."

My wife has this habit of turning on the car alarm when finding our way through a parking lot back to the car - with this app, you'll be spared some odd looks. With Radar, you can mark the place you want with GPS, and it'll let you know what the direction and distance are to get back. Of course, us guys don't need such help right? :) If you're still interested though, Radar's available for $0.99 through the Marketplace.


Sunday, October 16, 2011

Phone7Market Helps ByPass App Geographic Restrictions

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 05:00 PM

http://www.1800pocketpc.com/phone7m...y-region/23747/

Phone7Market is a homebrew app to get around geographic restrictions in the marketplace, though it only lets you grab freeware apps for now. The app is still in alpha, but within that limited scope it seems to work well. You'll need to have the Windows Phone SDK and there's a few other dependencies (hit the link for more info). Just bear in mind that trying this out is at your own risk.


Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Gaston Lagaffe Episode 1: Superball

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 01:00 PM

http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=ff6...c1-6af31b55a470

"Jumping Jehoshaphat Batman, we almost hit that seagull!!" All kidding aside, this first Gaston episode (#2's already availanble for the iPhone) has our intrepid hero taking off into the clouds in search of baloons and seagulls. Angry Birds it ain't but for $2.99 I could think of worse ways to pass the time. If you're interested, hit the link to get it from Windows Marketplace (no trial unfortunately).

[UPDATE]Vetasoft has released version 1.1 of the game to the Marketplace, where you can now download a demo version


Monday, August 22, 2011

WPBench Hits New Version: Offers Online Comparisons

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 11:30 AM

http://www.computemark.com/wpb/index.php?

Ever wonder how your WP7 phone stacks up against others? Now's your chance - WPBench, the first WP7 onboard benchmarking tool, now offers you the ability to upload your test runs and see how your device does against the competition. The app is in the marketplace now and costs $1.59, but the trial is free and fully functional.


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Panic Arts Tanks: Multiplayer Strategy Game

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 10:00 PM

http://www.panicarts.com/tanks/index.html

"Tanks is a free and exciting, turn-based multiplayer game you can play with your friends - or take on the world."

There's quite a few decent games available in the Marketplace right now, but few have had the courage to go all-multiplayer as this title does. I think the appeal might have been broader with a single-player, but hey, you can't argue against the price - free! Search the marketplace or try this link (launches Zune).


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A Mobility Market Crystal Ball

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/17/...hifting-mobile/

"In two years, we'll mark the thirtieth anniversary of the first commercially available cellphone -- built by Motorola, incidentally. Given this week's big news from Google, and other big events that we can only presume are yet to come, those two years may also prove to be some of the most interesting yet for the mobile industry."

If you read this site regularly then you likely enjoy tracking the mobility market and smartphone industry. In all of technology could there be more interesting and as fast changing sectors as these? We all tend to speculate these days on RIM's future, Google's moves, and Microsoft's challenges, not to mention the plethora of Android devices that are continually released. The folks over at Engadget must feel much the same. Donald Melanson posted an editorial today, citing statistics from such stalwarts as Gartner and Nielsen regarding the smartphone market. He speculates on what changes we might see in the future. What do you think of Microsoft buying HTC? What about HP getting out of the smartphone business? Where will Dell settle it's focus in the future? There are some juicy statistics and interesting ideas proposed in the editorial, not to mention in the comments from readers. It's a fun piece to peruse, and will stimulate debate for, well, at least another 24 hours or the next major market development, whichever comes first.


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Falling Skies App Reviewed

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 09:00 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/falling-skies-review

This is actually the first I've heard of this series, but the premise has me intrigued. The app itself pulls content from the show's website for easy viewing on the go, so if you're a fan, you can pick it up for free here.


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

WP7: The Path To Success

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 07:30 PM

http://www.cio.com.au/article/39641...iphone_android/

"Microsoft doesn't tend to invest time and capital into market segments it can't dominate, which makes one wonder how it is still a distant fifth in the worldwide smartphone market...However, IDC predicts that once the next version of Windows Phone 7 arrives in products later this year, Microsoft will be on firmer footing...Here are four reasons why Microsoft will be a major smartphone player in a few years.

And three reasons it won't."

Jeff Vance has written a thoughtful article that summarises what he thinks will make Windows Phone 7 a success - and a few major hurdles along the way. Some of the good points aren't turning out so well (the Nokia-Microsoft partnership has been awfully quiet), but he makes a good point about cloud services. It's a long article, but worth the read.


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Marketplace Spam

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 07:00 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/so-much-co...arketplace-spam

"Not to beat a dead horse...well, actually that's exactly what we are doing, but looks like either Microsoft is becoming lax in enforcing mass-publishing of apps or we misunderstood what they meant."

Some days I still hanker for the time when finding an application for Windows Mobile meant hunting through internet, when payment methods and systems were all over the place, and over the air installation was a pipe dream. Even with all the convenience and security of an onboard marketplace, I sometimes feel that we've taken a step backwards - especially when dealing with marketplace spam, and with finding an app that, you know, actually does something.


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Perspective: The Best Apps To Load On Your WP7 Device

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 12:30 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/t...one-7.html?_r=1

"Some people make it a big deal that Apple has 425,000 apps and Android has, by some counts, 250,000. But would you want a television with 400,000 channels or just 100 great ones? The Windows Phone 7 platform has "only" 25,000 apps, and that number will quickly grow once Nokia, one of the most popular handset makers, starts producing devices for the platform later this year. Already, though, the phones are good, if you mix in the right apps."

OK, this will necessarily be somewhat subjective, but Bob Tedeschi over at The New York Times website has published his personal "best of" app list and it's quite fun to read through. There are the standard favorites you would expect to see, like Facebook and Evernote, but there are a couple of apps I have not heard of. You'll have to hit the Read link to see the complete list, but it's worth a few minutes to read through and possibly try out the recommendations.


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Improved WP7 App Pricing For Australian Users

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:30 AM

http://www.1800pocketpc.com/2011/07...w-0-99-aud.html

"With the new App Hub launch there seems to be a better price structure for apps and games at least for Australian users. Kudos to Chris Walsh for the find. It seems $0.99 USD apps are now $0.99 AUD. Couple of days ago we talked about the pricing of Apps and Games on the Marketplace. We used to pay AU$1.18 ( roughly US$1.25 ) for a US$0.99 App but now it seems we have to pay only AU$0.99 ( US$1.05 ), which is awesome!!"

Our Australian friends may be seeing a nice nice development in WP7 app pricing. According to the linked article, prices are seeing a slight decrease. While not a huge savings, every bit helps. Comments posted on the article suggest price drops may also be occurring in other regions.


Thursday, July 14, 2011

Trillion Games 3D Paperball

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 06:00 PM

http://social.zune.net/redirect?typ...3c-78e7d1fa76f8

I've never actually come across mobile paperball games before, but this one looks pretty good. Using the accelerometer onboard every WP7 device, 3D paperball let's you indulge in that traditional office pastime while saving some trees in the process. The game is ad-supported so you don't pay a dime to try it out.


Monday, July 11, 2011

Audible On WP7: On The Way?

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 07:00 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/audible-wp7-works

"Audible is one of the few, last remaining marquee apps that Windows Phone is lacking...Though official "support" can be a finicky source for stories, if we are to believe them, they do have a Windows Phone app in development with no ETA available..."

Back in the day, when I first started with Microsoft's mobile platform, one of the definite attractions was that it had a client for audible.com's audiobooks. In fact, I still keep my trusty Pocket PC in the car just for that purpose and I've even been tempted to shift to Android because they already have one. So this news makes me really happy and fills, for me at least, one of the bigger gaps in the WP7 platform.


Sunday, July 10, 2011

Ultimate Guitar Tabs Comes To WP7

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 09:00 PM

http://app.ultimate-guitar.com/ugt/wp7/

"When the inspiration strikes to pick up your trusty six-string, Ultimate-Guitar.com is making sure you've got the music at your fingertips. Whether sitting in your room at home or traveling across the country, practicing your favorite riffs has never been easier with the latest groundbreaking application created by the wildly popular music site."

Wielding an axe just got easier - Ultimate Guitar Tabs brings the one of the largest collections of guitar tablature to WP7. You also gain access to bass and drum tabs, and a reference for guitar chords. The app is now in the Marketplace for $2.99 (link).


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

New York Times App Now Available For Windows Phone 7

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 06:30 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/official-n...rts+(wpcentral)

"Carrying on from the batch of official apps we've had this week, New York Times is now readily available on the Marketplace. You can view and browse through the latest headlines for free, or you can subscribe for a small fee to unlock all the sections in the app, plus blogs, videos and slide shows. This app supports synchronization to pull down content for offline reading and stories can be shared via Twitter and Facebook."

The New York Times is finally available on the Marketplace for those people who have been patiently waiting. The app is free to download and browse headlines, but you'll have to share some of your hard-earned cash to get the full content.


Sunday, July 3, 2011

Angry Birds Now Available For WP7

Posted by Nurhisham Hussein in "Windows Phone Software" @ 05:30 PM

http://www.wpcentral.com/angry-bird...-phone-now-live

"Yes, people. Let the taunting end tonight. Between the promise of custom ringtones and now the fulfillment of 'Angry Birds', Windows Phone 7 has had its day."

I don't know what the fuss is about - ok maybe I do. When one of the hottest mobile games of the past couple of years hits a new platform, it's news. I don't need to explain what its about do I? Just hit this link to check out the trial and purchase Angry Birds for WP7 for $2.99.


Windows Phone Marketplace Crosses The 25,000 App Mark

Posted by Richard Chao in "Windows Phone News" @ 02:52 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/report-window...-163741366.html

"Microsoft launched the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace in October with 1,000 apps. Just about nine months later, the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace has grown to boast more than 25,000 apps as of Friday."

According to numbers provided by WindowsPhoneAppList.com, the Windows Phone Marketplace is now home to over 25,000 apps. This is a good sign as it shows that despite reports of lack luster phone sales, developers are still feeling good about the future of the Windows Phone OS.


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