Rumors

Late but never out, Samsung ATIV Odyssey to launch on January 24?

Rumors

By Sam Sabri, Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 at 7:48 pm

Here is some good news for everyone on Verizon who can’t wait to get their paws on the Samsung ATIV Odyssey, it could be a week away. This little nugget of information comes from Twitter leakster @evleaks, who has a solid history of being accurate. He (she?) has shown off things in the past like these renders of the Lumia 920 or these of the Lumia 822 and charging pad.

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Microsoft reportedly putting Skype at center of communications for all devices and services

By Daniel Rubino, Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 at 4:46 pm

We can file this one under “saw it coming from a mile away” but Computer and Video Games (CVG.com) has quoted an unnamed source who states Microsoft will be "consolidating all their communications technology" around the Skype platform. That includes the next generation Xbox, PCs, Tablets and in a way, even on our phones.

LG to return to the Windows Phone 8 fold in 2013? Korea Times says yes.

By Daniel Rubino, Wednesday, Jan 16, 2013 at 12:34 am

Could LG be releasing some new Windows Phone 8 hardware this year? According to the Korea Times, citing a senior executive from one of LG’s local partners, the answer is ‘yes’.

The paper reveals the tidbit under the bigger news of LGs ambitions for 2013, including the goal of selling 75 million handsets, which is no small feat even with Android seemingly doing so well.

LG famously had cold feet with Microsoft last year over the new OS and although they were initially expected to release new hardware they backed out. That was even after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly try to persuade the massive Korean company otherwise.

Huawei Ascend W2, the thinnest Win Phone coming to MWC?

Rumors

By Seth Brodeur, Monday, Jan 14, 2013 at 12:17 pm

Richard Yu, head of Huawei's mobile division, said that the company will be presenting their flagship Windows Phone 8 device, the Ascend W2, at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress in February. The comment came via Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. We got a taste of Huawei's Windows Phone expertise at CES with their Ascend W1, but the W2 promises to be a bit more intriguing, as it looks to be the thinnest Windows Phone 8 device yet.

The story behind the difficult birth of the Huawei Ascend W1 Windows Phone

Rumors

By Chassit, Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 at 11:29 pm

Hello everyone. We just spotted this story behind the very much postponed product from one of Microsoft's most reluctant OEM: Ascend W1 by the Chinese phone maker Huawei. Huawei is expected to be formally (and finally) announcing the W1 on the upcoming CES 2013. I'm not sure how many of you guys are actually waiting for it, but in case you are hot in anticipation indeed, the following story will probably explain all the quietness and terrible delay that paved a bumpy road for this phone.

Windows Phone 8 Portico: Now going out to HTC 8X devices in Spain

By robert brand, Friday, Dec 21, 2012 at 9:01 am

We have been tipped off that the first over the air update ‘Portico’ for Windows Phone 8 might be hitting devices on Vodafone Spain.

One of our readers was informed by push notification last night that the update was available and is now sporting 8.0.10211.204 on his HTC 8X.

Elop: Nokia planning exciting things with Verizon. Flagship Windows Phone?

Rumors

By Rich Edmonds, Tuesday, Dec 18, 2012 at 7:42 pm

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has hinted in an interview with CNET that the Finnish company could be planning a flagship Windows Phone for US carrier Verizon. Much like the Lumia 920 deal with AT&T (and EE here in the UK), Nokia may have a device in the works that could well be exclusive to Verizon.

Nokia reportedly not coming to CES 2013, waiting for MWC instead

Rumors

By Chassit, Tuesday, Dec 18, 2012 at 10:41 am

According to the latest rumor, Nokia has just cancelled its plan of showcasing new products at the upcoming CES in January 2013. Instead, the Finnish phone maker is now cooking up some surprises for Mobile World Congress 2013, about one month after the CES (Windows Phone Central will be at both events).

People have been expecting Nokia to bring up the next wave of Lumia devices, and probably more powerful Pureview goodies, for CES 2013. The month-long postpone could be a sign that Nokia indeed has something up its sleeves, and is needing a little bit more time to polish it. Let's just be patient.

Meanwhle, Huawei's first ever Windows Phone device the Ascend W1 is expected to be revealed on CES 2013.

Source: WPDang

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HTC reportedly cancels large-screened Windows Phone amid resolution issues

By Daniel Rubino, Monday, Dec 17, 2012 at 11:13 am

One step forward and two steps back. Sometimes that old saying can be applied to Microsoft, who despite doing their best to stay ahead is often slightly behind.

Such is the case with Windows Phone 8 and the ability to now have 720P and 763x1280 resolutions. On screens that are 4.7” or smaller, it’s simply stunning and a nice treat to have but its apparent limits may now be its undoing as HTC has reportedly cancelled a new Windows Phone because of it.

The phone, possibly the rumored HTC Zenith, has allegedly been abandoned due to the fact that Windows Phone 8 cannot do 1080P resolution, which would scale nicely on post 4.8” devices. The boundary, something for which Android has no problem with, is said to have been the deciding factor for HTC as anything less than 1080P would not be as competitive.

Images leak of unknown mid-range Nokia Lumia phone

By Daniel Rubino, Friday, Dec 14, 2012 at 10:53 am

New images of what looks to be an unidentified Nokia phone have shown up on the web today. Not much is known about the device revealed in these photos, except that they are of a Nokia phone running Windows Phone 8 at 800x480 resolution. The device lacks the famed polycarbonate body of the high Lumia 9xx series and that resolution makes this a mid-range device, at best.

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Nokia reveals inbound Windows Phone 7.8 features

By robert brand, Tuesday, Dec 11, 2012 at 11:00 am

Nokia appears to have revealed the highlights of the coming Windows Phone 7.8 update scheduled for the previous version of the operating system.

It is well known that the home screen will be updated to allow the three new tile sizes and remove the familiar side gutter but looks like much more is coming.

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Microsoft & Apple tussle over SkyDrive, Xbox Music and Office for iOS cash grab?

Rumors

By robert brand, Tuesday, Dec 11, 2012 at 10:43 am

Today there has been a report that Microsoft and Apple are currently at a stalemate with a supposed app update to SkyDrive on iOS. Apple has allegedly blocked the update as they are now demanding a 30% cut of revenue from SkyDrive subscriptions.

It is not possible to purchase more storage from within the SkyDrive app, if the report from TheNextWeb is true this could mean bad news for iOS versions of the Office Apps.

A Windows Phone Watch? New Kickstarter project looks good but may be unrealistic.

Rumors

By robert brand, Monday, Dec 10, 2012 at 12:45 pm

What could be better than having a little bit of Windows Phone 8 goodness strapped to your wrist? If the Kickstarter project Gnomio ever comes to fruition then we might just get a device that works via Bluetooth to send alerts for all kinds of things to your watch.

The devices are purportedly being ranged in some Windows Phone 8 friendly hues called the Gnomio Fresh or a sturdier metal finished ‘Strong’ variant. Could this be the ultimate Windows Phone accessory?

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First OS update for Windows Phone 8 codenamed ‘Portico’

By Daniel Rubino, Wednesday, Dec 5, 2012 at 3:50 pm

por·ti·co (pawr-ti-koh, pohr-)

n. An elaborate or at least covered porch area adjacent to a main entrance, generally in a classical building. The portico functions as a means to protect visitors from the elements as well as emphasizing the taste and wealth of the owner.

Even though Windows Phone 8 has just launched across the world, information on the first OS update was revealed just a week ago. The OS update is rumored to be announced this February during the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and it will reportedly consist of various small patches, fixes and additions to Windows Phone 8.

Windows Phone Central has now learned from a known and trusted source that this update is being referred to not as Apollo+ but ‘Portico’.

New and exclusive Nokia Lumia 505 coming to Mexico’s Telcel with Windows Phone 7.8?

By Daniel Rubino, Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012 at 11:26 am

Nokia may be once again creating some exclusive phones for regional carriers and this time it’s reportedly the Lumia 505.

The phone first popped up on the questionable Facebook page of Guerrero Móvil, where not much info was provided besides the image and it being exclusive to Telcel. At the time, that wasn’t enough for us to run with the story as there was no other confirmation of that device (and to be honest, anyone could throw together that carrier mockup).

SkyDrive.com coding reveals possible cloud music player

By Seth Brodeur, Monday, Dec 3, 2012 at 11:30 am

The folks over at LiveSide have been going through the source code of SkyDrive.com and uncovered a tasty tidbit of musical interest: SkyDrive.com appears to be getting a cloud-based music player. Resource images obtained by LiveSide from an internal testing version of SkyDrive seem to corroborate the feature, depicting player control button icons for "play," "pause," and "skip."

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Against all odds Windows Phone 8 has been hacked on to the HTC HD2

By Daniel Rubino, Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 at 10:50 am

No, the HTC HD2 will evidently never die. First released in November 2009 with Windows Mobile 6.5, the device has been successfully hacked with every OS including Windows Phone 7, 7.5 and 7.8 in addition to Android.

Now, according to legendary mod team Dark Forces Team (DFT), the HTC HD2 will also brandish Windows Phone 8...

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Microsoft branded Windows Phone headed to production?

Rumors

By George Ponder, Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012 at 2:12 pm

We've heard rumors on a Microsoft branded Windows Phone for some time now. We've seen concept images and even Nokia CEO Stephen Elop mentioned a Surface Windows Phone would stimulate the ecosystem.

The latest rumor has Foxconn International Holding (FIH), a manufacturer of electronic devices, receiving a handset order from both Microsoft and Amazon. According to the sources of the rumors claim a launch date of mid-2013. The source notes that both orders will only have a limited shipment volume initially and may become a new business model for the manufacturers in the future

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Rumor: Microsoft set to roll out Windows Phone 8 update 'Apollo+' in Q1 2013 [Update]

Rumors

By Rich Edmonds, Monday, Nov 26, 2012 at 3:53 pm

Microsoft is set to fire up its updating engine for Windows Phone in Q1 next year, according to a tweet published by renowned Twitter account @Football4PDA. The account was the named source for the leaked images of the HTC Accord (HTC 8X), as well as a number of other headlines that have been published along the way to Windows Phone 8.

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Did Nokia take 2.5M preorders for the Lumia 920? Maybe.

Rumors

By Rich Edmonds, Friday, Nov 23, 2012 at 5:49 pm

Nokia has yet to release a report detailing Lumia 920 sales, and until that time is upon us we can only speculate and estimate what said numbers will actually be. There's much anticipation to see whether Nokia has received such high levels of demand that the well established manufacturer simply cannot build enough Lumia 920s to throw at retailers and carriers, or we're simply seeing low levels of stock being produced at launch.

According to a report over at Yahoo China, pre-ordered (and purchased) Lumia 920 numbers have exceeded 2.5 million, slightly less than the total number of Lumia Windows Phones sold in the last quarter combined. If this is accurate, we are seeing massive demand for not only Nokia's flagship handset, but Windows Phone 8 as well.

We'll remain skeptical and believe that simply not enough stock is available, but there's always the possibility...