Nokia Collection for Windows Phone

Guess who's back, back again? It's not Eminem.

Viber has had an interesting time on Windows Phone since it launched itself onto the platform. The app is presently available for all Windows Phones but is limited to messaging and sports no voice capabilities. This was to change for Lumia owners with the release of Viber HD in the Nokia Collection of OEM apps last month, which boasted VoIP functionality.

Unfortunately, due to bugs and performance issues, Viber HD was subsequently pulled from the Windows Phone Store and those who wished to download the communication solution for their Lumia Windows Phone were unable to do so. We expected an update to be released for those who already have Viber installed, as well as the app being made available to download once again after all issues were ironed out.

Xpress Beta from Nokia

Nokia has gone ahead and pushed out a beta app for its Lumia users. The app is called Xpress (Beta) and it’s an interesting concept, mostly for those folks who are on tight data-plans or are roaming internationally.

In essence, the app acts as a gateway to Nokia’s Xpress cloud service. That program takes data and compresses it before it gets to your device, cutting down on data consumption quite dramatically. It’s a similar concept to what we’ve seen in the past with Opera Mobile which also had a method to server-side compress data.

Although AOL still gets jeers from those who think of the early internet days, the fact of the matter is they’re a huge media conglomerate who owns Moviefone, Huffington Post, Engadget, TechCrunch and more.

The other fact is this: AOL Entrance the app is pretty damn awesome. No joke. It’s powerful with some of those above services (especially good since the Huffington Post app is MIA), has music streaming built in (including Shoutcast support) and probably the killer feature: augmented reality for finding movies around you.

Now you see it, now you may not.

Viber has been pulled from the Marketplace, according to multiple sources which include reports from Windows Phone Central readers. The app, which is currently a Nokia exclusive, was released over the weekend but is no longer available to a number of consumers. We're still able to access the listing and download the Nokia exclusive Viber from the UK. So, has it vanished? If so, why?

The popular VOIP service Viber has been a long time in the making for Windows Phone. The fist app was merely a preview beta that only had direct messaging but no voice capability. Then a few weeks ago we got word that the ‘HD’ version with full VOIP capability was headed to Nokia Lumia phones.

During that time though, a lot has happened including a very long delay, much to the surprise of the developer who had anticipated a quick releases. Due to Microsoft’s quirky (and backlogged) app submission process, Viber got lost in the shuffle and had to have some pushing before the Store could give birth.

StyleSaint - exclusively for Nokia Lumia Windows Phones

While we’re still waiting on Viber HD from Nokia to go live today (more on that later, when it’s available), another app has come forth for those with fashion on their minds.

StyleSaint (www.stylesaint.com) can now be downloaded for Nokia Lumia phones, allowing you to browse the latest fashions, clip them, make your own ‘stylebook’ and then share it with the world.

It looks like Nokia has hit the publish button on yet-another-exclusive app, this time it’s the Bloomberg Hub, bringing the latest in financial news and videos right to your phone.

Nokia gave a few screenshots of the app in question along with details of the features that it contains.  Some of those are..

City Lens just keeps on getting better

Nokia appears to be in an update mood lately as this weekend we’ve noticed two of their big apps get some small updates.

Update: City Lens update was just a re-submission to fix an error with the Chinese Windows Phone Store

First up is City Lens, which is being bumped to version 1.10.1632. That’s a fairly low number change, so we’re going to assume that these are minor bug fixes and code optimizations to make it all run buttery smooth. In fact it does feel faster for us to load and calibrate but that could be placebo too.

We don’t think this is the ‘big’ new update that Nokia talked about last week—that one includes 3D icons and the ability filter items out of the line of site.

Viber with voice support coming to Nokia Lumia phones

This morning, Viber, the company behind the popular and free VOIP communication software announced the soon-to-be available Viber app for Windows Phone, adding to Viber Messenger. The new version of the app, developed with assistance from Nokia themselves, now supports HD voice calls, bringing the app up to full Viber standards.

Viber has had a long route to get to Windows Phone, especially since their service required deeper integration with the OS, which was not available for early iterations of the software. Now, in conjunction with Nokia, the new Viber app has full voice-over-IP protocol support, allowing users to make and receive free calls over their data connection. In addition, users can of course continue to use the free messenger aspect of the app.

During last week’s Nokia presser, the company unveiled a new list of exclusive apps coming to the Lumia line. While some details were given, today the company has taken to the blogs to go into even more information.

Most of the apps seem to feature NFC--the ability to wirelessly share information and data with other NFC-enabled devices. NFC for many is the future as there is no pairing and it's relatively low-power to use. Although it is still growing for commerce transactions, the ability to tap someone else's phone and instantly send them over info is tempting...