Nokia Collection for Windows Phone

When Nokia entered the Windows Phone market, one of their strategies to attract customers was to provide exclusive apps and games for their Lumia Windows Phones. While other Windows Phone manufacturers offer similar collections of apps, the Nokia Collection is by far the largest offering.

From Xbox Live game titles to camera apps to utilities to news apps, the Nokia Collection adds to the attraction the Lumia Windows Phones have.

As of December 2012, Nokia has over 50 exclusive apps and games available to those with Lumia phones.

More coverage

Former Nokia exclusive Xbox game Jet Set Go now available to all Windows Phone users

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Friday, Jun 7, 2013 at 9:18 am

Near the end of 2011, Nokia and Electronic Arts announced a partnership. Nokia would publish new EA Xbox Windows Phone games exclusively for Lumia devices. The deal included EA’s subsidiaries Chillingo and PopCap as well. It took a while for the first exclusive to show up: Mirror’s Edge in July 2012. After that, the floodgates opened as more and more EA games arrived on our platform.

Nokia Chat Beta for Windows Phone 8 gets a whole lot better with latest update

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Thursday, Jun 6, 2013 at 12:58 pm

Nokia has today released a fairly substantial update for its Nokia Chat Beta application for Windows Phone 8. Version 1.1 of the beta includes numerous bug fixes, but also introduces new features and improvements to existing functionality. We last looked at Nokia Chat when the beta program was extended to cover more markets.

Nokia bumps NFC Writer, adds option to purchase official NFC tags

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Friday, May 31, 2013 at 4:38 pm

Nokia has updated its NFC Writer app for Lumia Windows Phones. Version 1.0.0.550 sounds as though it was a minor bump and you'd be right to assume such a thing. The only notable difference we can spot is the addition of a "NFC Tags" entry on the main menu. This loads a screen that explains why users should purchase and use official NFC tags from Nokia.

Nokia updates Ringtone Maker for Windows Phone 8 with extended ringtone length

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Friday, May 31, 2013 at 3:43 pm

Nokia has pushed out an update for all Ringtone Maker users. The Nokia exclusive app, which can be found in the Nokia Collection, enables the creation of ringtones from music files stored locally on the Windows Phone 8 device. While Xbox Music tracks are not supported (unless purchased), it's a great little app to create some fresh new tunes.

NBA Jam Review: Catching Windows Phone on fire!

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 12:14 pm

Way back in the eighties and nineties, Midway, the developer most remembered for creating the Mortal Kombat series also introduced a couple of sports series into arcades. First came Arch Rivals (basketball) in 1989 and then High Impact (American football) in 1990. Both games enjoyed some popularity, but it was their league-licensed sequels that really caught on fire: NBA Jam in 1993 and NFL Blitz in 1997.

NBA Jam became a staple of the 16-bit era (right alongside Mortal Kombat), thanks in part to a bevy of home console ports. The series had largely died out by the mid-2000s, shortly before Midway itself went bankrupt. Jam could have ended there, but Electronic Arts (in what some would call a rare act of benevolence) rescued the license in 2010 and published a new version for home consoles, followed by an even better XBLA sequel, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition.

Nokia bumps Storage Check and Transfer My Data for Lumia Windows Phones

By George Ponder, Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 5:01 pm

Nokia has updated their Storage Check and Transfer My Data apps to fix a few bugs and add a few new features.

Transfer My Data is a handy utility app to transfer contacts over Bluetooth from your old phone to your new Nokia Windows Phone. The Nokia app was updated to version 4.1 update and with no change log, the changes aren't as obvious. We are seeing that SMS and Photos can be transferred as well as contacts from supported phones.

Official StyleSaint app updated for all Windows Phones

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Monday, May 27, 2013 at 12:49 pm

StyleSaint is the official app for the well-known fashion magazine. We previously looked at the app when it was released back in 2012, but since then only those with a Lumia Windows Phone have been able to enjoy the latest features and content. That is until now as the generic version of the app has been bumped to version 1.0.0.391, which is ahead of the Nokia collection listing of 1.0.0.368 / 1.0.0.389.

Score big, unlock secret teams in NBA Jam with our Windows Phone Achievement Guide

By Paul Acevedo, Monday, May 27, 2013 at 10:25 am

Hey Xbox game fans, Windows Phone Central is back with another exclusive and professional-quality Achievement guide. This time we tackle the Windows Phone version of NBA Jam from EA Sports. Whether you’re a Jam veteran or new to the series, our guide will help you knock the game’s Achievements out as quickly and easily as possible, though it’ll still take just over 30 hours to unlock the final one.

Earning NBA Jam’s Achievements also unlocks a variety of characters, but several of the game’s most outlandish characters can only be accessed via secret codes. We’ve got those for you too, right after the break. Boom shaka laka!

Bejeweled Live+ Review: The puzzle king returns to Windows Phone

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 10:35 am

You might not know this, but Microsoft and Bejeweled go way back. PopCap created the very first version in Flash in 2001, originally calling it Diamond Mine. When Microsoft hosted the game at its MSN gaming site, the two parties agreed to change the title to Bejeweled, a name that has now become synonymous with the match-3 puzzle genre.

Windows Phone 7 launched with Bejeweled Live, a decent but overpriced ($5!) port of the game with only three game modes. Considering that Bejeweled on iPhone and iPad each include five modes for only one dollar, the original Bejeweled Live has always represented a poor value proposition.

Thankfully, PopCap has finally made good with Bejeweled Live+, essentially a port of the iOS version. A timed Nokia exclusive, it has a two dollar markup on Windows Phone 7 and 8. But three dollars doesn’t sting too badly when we’re talking about the finest pure puzzle game on the platform.

Nokia updates App Highlights for Windows Phone, changes a few things

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 9:21 am

Nokia has released an update for App Highlights, which has now been bumped to version 2.2.5.24. It's a rather minor update that changes a handful of things within the app itself, including the alteration of the highlight layout from landscape to portrait. For those who are unaware, App Highlights is a solution from Nokia for consumers who are seeking more content from the store that they may have not yet come across.