Rumors

While Verizon is slated to offer the HTC 8X Windows Phone, the company may go a step further and add wireless charging to the 8X.

The variation will be similar to what we've seen with the Nokia Lumia 920 and will not add any bulk to the phone. Speculation has the wireless or contact charging feature being an exclusive to the U.S. market.

If this holds true, wireless charging will be an interesting option to help the 8X compete with the Lumia 920.

Source: The Verge

There is some speculation out there that has the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone becoming available from AT&T on November 11, 2012.  We can't really call it a delay seeing that AT&T has never announced a date for availability.

We report this with a bit of caution in that none of our sources have confirmed the November 11th date. We still are leaning towards a November 4th release with pre-orders beginning this weekend but for now, we see this latest rumor going either way.

While the AT&T release seems to have a moving window, luckily we won't have long to wait to see which date may or may not be right.  As always, if we hear anything more concrete we'll pass it along.

Source: BGR; Thanks, everyone, for the tip!

Verizon HTC 8X

Here we go folks, with the rumor of Verizon having issues with Windows Phone 8 being dispelled by Paul Thurrott recently, we can get back to guessing when it will launch.

Luckily, we don’t have to guess too much as reader Adil T. has tipped us on this image and some launch info for Verizon. The info comes from friend of his who works for Verizon and as you can see, that gorgeous HTC 8X is running on Big Red’s network (check the Phone Tile).

Regarding the launch, HTC evidently has a “save the date” for Tuesday, November 6th with a launch window around the same time—in other words, very soon.

Oh and is that an ATIV S on that screen back there or is that just a generic Windows Phone?  We’ll try to dig up some more info as it comes in. Thanks, Anon, for the info!

Remember the alledged ZTE Windows Phone 8 hardware we took a look at last month? In that article we also looked at some colourful devices that sported a centralised USB port, which is the norm with latest Windows Phone hardware. Could they have been the real deal? We're still not entirely sure which way to lean, but what we do now know is ZTE has confirmed at a conference that they'll be supporting Windows Phone 8.

So... after the Surface frenzy, for October we have another huge expectation left: Windows Phone 8. Microsoft is expected to fully unveil its next-gen smartphone OS at the very end of this month. But as always, things have started to leak ahead of the schedule, and source of the leak is China.

Suppliers in Asia have apparently spilled the beans on Microsoft's production line plans for its coming Surface devices.

If the information is to be believed, MS have put in component orders to ensure they are able to produce 3 to 5 million of the devices for the fourth quarter. With such an order Microsoft looks set to go into mass production rather than just produce a limited run as some speculated on.

It's your destiny

If there is one nagging issues that Windows Phone can’t get away from it’s the so-called "app gap". Specifically that some major apps or services are still missing from the platform and will prevent potential customers from switching smartphones. The problem lessens every day when a new big name title launches on Windows Phone, but if there was one that people really want, it’s Instagram.

We’ll leave our personal opinion about the hipster photo service to the side because in the end, it doesn’t matter if we like it or would rather stick a fork in our eye than use it. The masses have spoken and Instagram is a “must have” just like diabetes for Americans.

Our friend and colleague Kevin Michaluk from CrackBerry has gone on record recently, vehemently we might add, stating that Instagram is absolutely coming to BlackBerry 10.

Samsung hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with showing off its ATIV S device so it’s good to see others getting unofficial hands on time with it.

We get some nice shots of photo and video backup options, as well as the text message backup. Interestingly in this revealment we see a new option for call blocking functionality in the system settings.

Live Apps, Microsoft's new marketing language

Yesterday we ran a story with some new marketing material for Best Buy that focused on Windows Phone 8. What caught our attention was the use of the term ‘Live Apps’ and even more so the description on how to view them (swipe up, down, left, right).

The idea as the time was that this might be some new feature—possibly related to multitasking e.g. mimicking how Windows 8 handles multiple apps. The other was that this was just Microsoft’s rebranding of Metro apps to Live Apps (due to that trademark issue).

This morning, we can share a lot more information on this that has come forward. Some good, some disappointing.

The HTC 8S, the company's mid-level Windows Phone 8 handset, is on its way to US Cellular, according to a thread created on TeamUSCellular. Member iRub1Out published a number of handsets that are heading to the US carrier, but of course we're only interested in Windows Phone.

While the source is no way official confirmation, we can at least expect US Cellular to pick up a Windows Phone, and the HTC 8S looks the likely candidate. It's definitely a possibility, but be sure to take this rumour with a grain of salt as usual.

The carrier had previously signed a deal with ZTE to stock its 'Render' (Orbit) Windows Phone 7.8 handset.

Source: TeamUSCellular; thanks, Dan, for the heads up!

We know that AT&T is getting the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 Windows Phones. T-Mobile is slated to get the Lumia 810. We've also seen a Nokia Lumia 822 floating around that is headed to Verizon.

We may need to add another number to the mix, the Nokia Lumia 922. A series of tweeted rumor is out there by @NokiaPureView who is claiming to have handled a Verizon Lumia 9XX (presumably the 922). The tweets mention that the mysterious device has a "matte finish, Pureview, is thinner, lighter and better."

Granted no pictures were offered on this mysterious device and according to @NokiaPureview Nokia CEO Stephen Elop doesn't want any pictures taken of the Verizon Windows Phone.

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The much anticipated launch of the Microsoft Surface tablets is less than 20 days away. So far, word is that the product will only be sold through Microsoft's own retail stores. Alternative retailers remains largely guesswork. If that's the only destined distribution channel, it means relatively limited availability for Americans, and a big red "no way" to everyone elsewhere.

According to latest leaks from Chinese site WPDang though, the situation will not be that bad. At least in China, Surfaces will be sold through Suning (reads "soo-ning"), one of the country's leading consumer gadget retail chains.