Yet another example of Windows 10 Mobile being rather more 'grown up' than Windows Phone 8.1, did you know that 'Calculator' on Windows 10 Mobile (most of you have probably joined the Insiders Programme by now, let's face it) is something of a powerhouse, not only providing three different calculators but also a veritable host of unit conversion functions. Heck, that's another few third party applications that you won't need to look out now...
Having looked at Windows 10 Mobile build 10512 on the top spec Lumia 930 (2GB of RAM) and on the 'budget flagship' Lumia 830 (with 1GB of RAM), it's time to look at the new OS on something even lower spec - the two year old Lumia 630, with only 512MB RAM. Common sense tells us that Windows 10 Mobile should be more limited in this context - and it is in terms of big name games - but surprisingly the overall smartphone experience is very decent indeed and indistinguishable from the Lumia 830's, thanks to the lower screen resolution (WVGA).
With the current rather serious rash of vulnerabilities discovered in Android (oh, and another one here), potentially affecting a couple of billion handsets and undermining everyone's confidence in this mobile platform, there's a definite case for suggesting that any smartphone platform that's not Android is going to be safer. Not least because Android's sheer popularity causes it to be a much larger target for hackers and mischief makers. Windows Phone, plus iOS at the top end, may well benefit from this mess, I'd like to suggest.
Having been looking so far in detail at Windows 10 Mobile performance and issues on the fastest Snapdragon 800-powered devices, the Lumia 930 and 1520, I thought it time to check out how the OS was faring on something with a Snapdragon 400, in this case the otherwise pretty decent Lumia 830, with 720p screen and 1GB of RAM. In fact, the 830 isn't being made anymore, with a new breed of similarly specced budget devices coming up on its heels, but it's still a good test case for how Windows 10 Mobile will fare with less horsepower under the hood.
It's true I haven't done a camera head to head for months here on AAWP, but I wanted to put that right with a look at a brand new camera-focussed Android device, the new Moto X Play, designed by Motorola to give users a top end camera and top end battery. The latter is subjective, since it depends on use, but I can test the former. The Moto X Play comes in a £270 inc VAT in the UK, coincidentally about the same price that you can now pick up a new Lumia 930, and with the camera (full) resolutions being identical it's absolutely a fair 'fight'.
These snapshots of a mobile OS in progress seem to be popular and, using it day to day, I'm in a good position to comment on how Windows 10 Mobile is coming on. My last report was three weeks ago here and I'm happy to say that most of the issues I reported on then have been addressed in build 10512, with some screenshot proof below, along with shots of (ahem) a few new issues. That I can use W10M day to day now shows that the OS is definitely 'getting there' though. Your comments welcome!
Contact stores have always been a bit messy, as anyone else whose digital address book has been through numerous imports and transitions over the last decade will tell you. Add in multiple people lists, from each online service, and the only viable way to keep track of all of this information in a central place is your smartphone. Here are some pointers for keeping things simple on Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile...
It's becoming increasingly clear that the Windows 10 Mobile Camera application is being groomed for taking over all photo and video duties on all compatible smartphones. I reported on the addition of RAW capture here, and in this video-centric feature I answer a question that many of us have had when looking through Camera's settings: why is there an option for 'Digital Video Stabilisation' when run on all the various Lumias with OIS-equipped cameras? Isn't OIS enough? Actually, it turns out that it isn't, see the video below for proof.
There are three kinds of Windows Phone owner. The hard-core enthusiasts who will have been putting on every Insiders build of Windows 10 Mobile and they know all the tricks of the trade. Normal users who just want a phone that works and who will wait, blissfully ignorant of anything new on the horizon, until they're promoted with an official notice. And everyone in the middle, who quite fancies installing Windows 10 Mobile to see what all the fussis about and to skip a probable four month wait for the finished article, but is scared stiff of what's involved. This article is for the third group and is intended to be the definitive guide!
Yes, yes, I've been trying to avoid the term 'budget flagship' for months, but I can hold off no more. You see, there's a new breed of Android smartphone in town, with 5"+ 1080p screens and high specification processors, but coming in at not that much more than £100 in the UK on pay as you go. Jaw dropping value, so I thought I'd take one such example device and compare it to the natural contenders in the Windows Phone world. Here's the Vodafone-branded Smart Ultra 6 against the Lumia 640 and 640 XL - they're significantly outgunned, but can the component choices and OS make a difference?
