Here's a thought. Instead of wasting a brand, instead of making an implicit promise of quality and failing to deliver, instead of giving hope to gamers out there, instead of teasing us that something interesting might happen... Xbox Live on Windows Phone should simply disappear. The lack of engagement from Microsoft and third party developers is frankly embarrassing, and the service needs put out of its misery.
You love smartphone camera shootouts - you know you do. Especially with champions in both the Symbian and Windows Phone world. We've compared most of these devices to one of the Android world's camera champions before - the Sony Xperia Z1, but that device was hampered by poor initial firmware and reports of the most recent Z1 update have been promising. Which means (in conjunction with reader Adam Pino) a new head to head: Nokia N8 (12MP, Xenon flash, Symbian), Nokia 808 (5MP oversampling, Xenon, Symbian), Nokia 1020 (ditto, Windows Phone) and the Z1. Fight!
In this video-based feature we compare the camera speed of the Lumia 1020 and 1520 in terms of both start-up time and shot-to-shot time. While some of the differences between the two devices can be explained by the relative size of the camera modules (41MP versus 20MP) the processor powering each device (Snapdragon S4 versus Snapdragon 800) is also an important factor.
I had a crazy idea a while ago, after trying to get a decent 'panorama' shot on my Nokia smartphone and finding the stitching flaky and the resolution low every single blessed time. Yes, yes, calm down Apple fans, I know the iPhone does this out of the box, but here I'm talking Nokia. Symbian and Windows Phone, and the 808 PureView and Lumia 1020 specifically, since the high resolution available (typically 7700 pixels-ish wide) opens up the possibility for a huge, massive cheat. As [cough] detailed below.
The Lumia 625 is an interesting addition to the line up of Windows Phone devices. It makes some assumptions about the form factors that customers would want (specifically around the size of their smartphone), and applies every trick in the book to bring the cost down to a level that allows networks to offer the large screened handset at a minimal up front cost. Retailing in the UK for 'free' with a £20-£30 monthly contract, that goal has been achieved. But is the Lumia 625 a handset that works in practice?
Podcatching, as you'll probably know, is the act of grabbing podcasts directly, over the air, on your smartphone. Automatically, seamlessly and without needing a desktop or any direct manual intervention. And then sorting them, playing them back in sensible fashion, working around interruptions, and cleaning up afterwards. It's a tall order for an application, yet we have no less than TWELVE likely contenders here for Windows Phone 8, all of which I've put through their paces. Note that this is a major update of a previous feature on AAWP - with new versions of many (and two completely new) applications.
In the screen section of our Nokia Lumia 1520 review we noted in passing that Microsoft has, in the Windows Phone 8 Update 3 release, changed the way some of the apps apps are displayed on devices with large screens. The most obvious example is the addition of an extra column of Live Tile on the Start screen, but there are a number of other more subtle change too, as demonstrated in this video-based feature article.
Once again I'm on the road (Junior Eurovision), but unlike other trips, something is a little different. With no current Windows Phone device ready to be reviewed, or interesting and notable devices from the other platforms, I had a free choice on which handset to pick up. And it has to be a handset that I trust. Just as countless people walking into a phone store to buy a new handset, trust is a key component in any piece of mobile technology, and something that Windows Phone still needs to work on.
It's all very well shooting 5 or 8 megapixel photos on your Windows Phone, but don't assume that all the pixels are making it online when you share your photos or send them on to others. In fact, your photos are almost certainly being dramatically shrunk - I do a little investigating and offer some tips below. Why settle for second best?
In this video we offer a summary review of the Nokia Lumia 1520, complementing our in-depth hardware review and editorial coverage from last week. The video starts with a brief unboxing, before going on to offer an overview of the hardware and new software features of the device. Also included is some commentary on the practicality of size of the device, illustrated by a comparison with the Lumia 925 and Lumia 620.
