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Joe Belfiore, Senior Vice President, Windows Phone, Microsoft

Joe Belfiore, Senior Vice President and Windows Phone Manager, Microsoft

Pocketnow has seen a video where Joe Belfiore, Senior Vice President and Windows Phone manager, talks about Windows Phone 8, codenamed Apollo. Apparently the video was meant for Nokia partners, but somewhere along its route it took a wrong turn and leaked out. The video talks about a number of Windows Phone 8 features that we’ll most probably see officially announced Mobile World Congress in a few weeks.

Here’s a summary of the article:

  • Hardware changes: Multicore processors (in plural), four new screen resolutions, removable microSD card storage, NFC
  • Windows 8 integration: WP8 will use many of the same components as Windows 8, meaning that developers can reuse code when porting an app from app to desktop, or vise versa. Mr. Belfiore mentioned the kernel, networking stacks, security, and multimedia support. Desktop Zune is out, a new companion app and syncing software on their way. Deeper SkyDrive integration. More seamless cloud syncing.
  • Application ecosystem: Microsoft expectes 100,000 available applications in the Marketplace Apollo is released. This would mean that we’re possibly looking at a release in the fourth quarter. Native code (C++) support. Apps will be able to communicate with other applications (app-to-app communication).
  • Data management: DataSmart, which aims to reduce and simplify tracking of data usage. WP8 will actively attempt to give WiFi connections priority, and even auto-joining carrier-owner WiFi networks. Data usage Live Tile. Internet Explorer 10 will use a proxy server to compress web traffic before its being sent to the device, which ultimately will reduce data usage.
  • Business: Native BitLocker encryption (128-bit, full-disk encryption). A “Private Marketplace” where companies can deploy proprietary software behind their company firewalls.

It does sound pretty great, doesn’t it?



Wordpress 1.5 for Windows Phone

Wordpress 1.5 for Windows Phone

WordPress for Windows Phone got just updated to version 1.5. The update focuses on speed and reliability, and here are the changes:

  • Stats: We’ve moved the stats section to its own page in the app which greatly improved the loading time for the blog panorama. While we were at it we fixed some bugs and improved the styling of the charts. The result is a much smoother experience for keeping up with your site’s stats. Just tap the new stats button in the actions pane to view your stats.
  • Post scheduling: The ability to schedule posts was a missing piece in the app. Now you can easily set a future publish date for your posts right from the app.
  • Comments: The comments list has been updated and now features a simple way to select multiple comments for bulk moderation.
  • Infinite scrolling: Your posts, pages, and comments now keep loading as you scroll down the list. No need to tap an extra button, it’s quick and easy.
  • Media uploading: The uploading reliability has been greatly improved. Now the app uploads your media in bite-size chunks, and automatically retries if you lose your connection. This has been tested a great deal and works well in most everyday situations.


Samsung briefly said in a statement that the Galaxy S III will not be announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress. The company will host a separate Galaxy S III event in the first half of 2012, so it could still be a few months away.

The successor to the Galaxy S II smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product.



Nokia Lumia 800 Suomi

Nokia Lumia 800 Suomi

February 1st is finally here! This is a day many mobile enthusiasts in Finland have been waiting for. Why’s that? Well, the Nokia Lumia 800 is now available in Finland! I’m one of those lucky ones who got their hands on a new Nokia Lumia 800 today. The device is currently selling for 429€, so it’s pretty cheap!



BlackBerry 10 Smartphone

BlackBerry 10 Smartphone

The first evidence of BlackBerry 10 smartphone has leaked. BB10 is codenamed BlackBerry “London”. The image above is claimed to be a render of the BlackBerry 10. As for the hardware, both a TI OMAP5 and Qualcomm chipset  are being tested (bot of them a dual-core CPU and running at 1.5GHz). We don’t really have more to say about this for now. Stay tuned for more leaks of this nature!



Samsung Galaxy S III

Samsung Galaxy S III

Rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S III have been going crazy around the blogosphere today. Apparently mobilecowboys.nl, a Dutch tech site, received a hint that the Galaxy S III will arrive on March 13 in Turkey. The source they cite has proven to be accurate in the past, so this could be real. Then again, it could be false. The source couldn’t provide any physical evidence, so take this bit of news with a pinch of salt.

Additionally, the source claimed that Samsung is going to release a variant of the Galaxy S II called the Galaxy S II Plus, and a variant of the Galaxy Note called the Galaxy Note S. Both of these devices are currently planned for Q4 this year, so right in time for the holidays.



Nextgen Reader for Windows Phone

Nextgen Reader for Windows Phone

In my opinion the best Google Reader application for Windows Phone, Nextgen Reader, got today updated to version 2.4. The new update brings a big list of changes with it, and here they are presented:

  • Live tiles now support images.
  • New manage sources hub with search, add, rename and delete feeds/folder.
  • Improved scrolling in article view.
  • Pin tiles easily to start screen from manage sources hub.
  • Added change password/account option.
  • Improved sharing page.
  • Bug fix: save post title in read it later.
  • Bug fix: support for Japanese font.
  • Bug fix: better support for multiple YouTube videos in article.
  • Many other improvements and bug fixes.

Fire up Marketplace to see if the update is ready for you!



LG A290

LG A290

A dual-SIM phone is so last year, at least according to LG. The company is now bringing a phone with three SIM slots to Russia. The phone in question will be called LG A290 (Sony has a DSLR called A290, too), and should hit Russia by late February for roughly €75.

Specs for the LG A290 include the following:

  • 3 SIM-card slots
  • 2.2-inch screen (175 x 220 pixels)
  • 1.3-megapixel camera
  • Flashlight
  • 1,500 mAh battery
  • Size: 113.5 x 51 x 12.95mm

Hit View Post for a few additional renders.



Sony Xperia P

Sony Xperia P

Every new phone that is brought to a market needs to collect a selection of stamps and small print before it is released. One of these stamp-companies is the Indonesian Telecoms Regulatory, which approves or denies a device for the Indonesian market. A Sony ST25i Kumquat just received its approval from the Indonesian Telecoms Regulatory body. The most interesting fact about this is that they also revealed the marketing name for the ST25i, which is from now on going to be called the Sony Xperia P.

We’re expecting to see the Sony Xperia P announced at MWC next month.



Samsung Galaxy S Advance

Samsung Galaxy S Advance

Yesterday we had the first leak of the Samsung Galaxy S Advance. Skip till today, and we have it officially announced.

The leaked specs turned out to be spot on, but here is a reminder for those who can’t recall them:

  • Screen: 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED with curved glass
  • CPU: 1GHz dual-core processor
  • OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread + TouchWiz UI
  • Memory: 768MB of RAM, 8 or 16 GB of internal flash, microSD card slot
  • Camera: 5-megapixel with LED flash, 720p video, autofocus, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
  • Connections: 14.4Mbps HSPA, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0
  • Other: FM Radio, A-GPS, AllShare
  • Apps: Readers, Game, Music, ChatON, Find my Mobile, Kies Air
  • Battery: 1,500mAh

No word on pricing as of now, but the phone will start to roll out in Russia next month, followed by Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Latin America and China.

Edit: Added a gallery with the official renders. Hit View Post to see it!