beta

This is a bit odd, but the highly anticipated WhatsApp is listed the Marketplace but it looks like you can't download it yet. The app will return an error saying "Can't Download: Sorry, You don't have permission to download this app".

Combine that with the app not showing up under new listings, the lack of description and images (there's one) and you know what guys? We're looking at an internal, private beta testing link. This is basically what happens when you try to download an app that you were not invited for to be evaluated--that's why it's not listed, there's no description, there is just one image, etc.

So our bet? This link (found here) won't be the final Marketplace link and we're still a few days from final release. So we're calling false alarm on this folks, sorry. Thanks, Maneesh V., for the link

Extra: For those who can side load, Giuseppe Spagnolo in WMPU comments, managed to rip the XAP from the Marketplace (there are legal programs that rip only free apps) and posted it here. You can get that here directly.

Mobilewares, an Australia based Windows Phone app publisher, are seeking beta testers for two upcoming titles. Word! and Jumble! are both free (ad-supported) word games that feature scoring and highscores, which is becoming the norm these days (look at Minesweeper and Trine's Hangman).

To register your interest and participate in the beta, head on over to WPDownUnder (link below) and fill in the application form - remember to use your Live ID for beta access via the Marketplace. 

Via: WPDownUnder

Yesterday we heard reports that a beta version of the Windows Phone Mango update would be released to developers this week. We then heard from Brandon Watson (via tweet) that such a release wasn't going to happen this week. Watson never said a beta would never be released, just not this week.

Enter Cliff Simpkins, Senior Product Manager for Windows Phone 7. In a forum for developer feedback on Windows Phone development the question arose about giving developers early access to Mango. Simpkins initial response,

"per @joebelfiore on May-24: We are working on a plan for DEVELOPERs to be able to get Mango for phones before we launch."

Simpkins would also follow up by clarifying that the Mango update and Mango devices are two different items. Because current devices will update to Mango, this helps reduce the number of developer devices needed. This makes sense and will help make the distribution easier on Microsoft.  If your development doesn't require the new hardware capabilities of Mango devices, then Microsoft will get you the update and forgo the developer device. Simpkins also adds,

"I think you'll all be happy with what we have coming; it's coming, grasshoppers, I promise. We're as anxious to get this out to you as you are to receive it - it just requires quite a bit of groundwork so that your personal devices stay as safe as possible."

As Watson mentioned in his earlier tweets, this week the focus was on the Press Release, likely to see what bugs the general public and sites like ours could pick up on. We feel confident a pre-release or beta version will get to developers but as to the "when", it's anyone's guess.

Source: windows phone developer voice Thanks goes out to Max for tipping us on this!

For those waiting with bated breath for IM+...err, you still have to wait awhile. The gooder news (yeah, we just said that) is it's getting closer and it sounds like they are nearly ready to take the wraps off their multi-client IM app for Windows Phone 7:

"Folks, we know it's been a long wait. We are working hard and doing our best to release the beta of IM+ for WP7 asap. And it is almost here. We expect the first beta within 2 weeks timeframe, however ETA may vary.

Please note that due to technical and legal structure of Marketplace the beta will only be available for registered developers devices. We'll be back with updates on beta release shortly. Thank you for understanding."

Okay, you know the rule: we hate when companies constantly delay things, but we forgive them when they keep us abreast of their inner happenings. So you have your stay, ShapeServices. Now lets just hope they deliver a solid product. Our bet is that they will.

On a related note: Flory IM is no longer available in the U.S. Marketplace. We're working on finding out why.

Source: IM+ Facebook; Thanks, Alan P., for the heads up

A week or so ago, Jabborworx released the Windows Phone 7 game Chicks n Vixens. The game was released as a Beta and while the first version of the game was a little on the rough side, two updates have polished the Windows Phone game up nicely. Graphics have improved, load times quicker, and overall performance is better. Additional updates are in line that will add more features and clean things up even further.

The game premise is simple. You launch your supply of chickens from a canon to take out a group of foxes that are hold up in various strongholds built of wood, glass, stone and steel. You have an assortment of chickens at your disposal that go supersonic, explode, and drop egg bombs all in a unified effort to destroy the foxes. Sounds a lot like Angry Birds, right? The game has just as much potential as the game it's modeled after and with a few more updates it could be just as popular.

In playing Chicks n Vixens, we found it to be an enjoyable, mildly addictive game. For the most part, the game ran smoothly with no major bugs, glitches or crashes experienced.  The canon can be a little sensitive (at times it fired while scrolling around the playing field) and the game lacks a Help or How-to section.  All of which should be addressed in future updates.

Chicks n Vixen is a free game and you can download your copy here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace.  Once you give Chicks n Vixens a try, feel free to chime in over at the Forums with any suggestions you may have for the developer.

Ease on past the break to see Chicks n Vixens in action.

With the latest release of the Windows Phone 7 beta emulator, a lot of changes have happened, especially for developers.

When running the emulator on a computer, as Long Zheng did at iStartedSomething, the first thing you'll notice is just how fast the OS has become. Remember, this is independent of your PC's performance (for the most part) as the earlier builds were much slower to respond. Now things like Mobile Internet Explorer and even the regular menus all instantly respond to input. Also worth a note is ringtones and alerts are now included, which while not earth shattering we do dig the overall tone/theme-- it sounds sort of futuristic, far from bombastic.

We have to admit, we're starting to get real excited, especially seeing this on some serious hardware come the fall.  Check out both videos after the jump.

In a nice follow up to those Marketplace revisions, Microsoft has just announced that they will allow developers to identify and interact with beta testers for their software via the Marketplace for Windows Phone 7.

Up till now, the question of whether some mechanism for developers to let the public test their program before release was unanswered. With no side-loading available for software installation, it's only through the Marketplace can the public add software to their phones, so some structure in the Marketplace had to be defined.

The mechanism will work via a "deep link" sent by email to the testers and presumably their Windows Live ID will be tagged by the Marketplace to grab the download. In addition, Microsoft is looking for a similar expansion of this public/private "cloud" distribution system to be applied for corporate environments, where they need to roll out their own proprietary software to employees. This latter part is important for the future success of WP7 in the business sector.

Once again, this is a great move by Microsoft and we're glad to see this becoming available.

Read the rest of Charlie Kindel's post on the Windows Team Blog.

Browsing the Internet is one of those things that can be a major draw for people looking to purchase a smartphone, but can be rather hit or miss due to the lack of quality mobile web browsers. For my money, having a choice between which browser you use in different situations can be a deal breaker. Luckily, Windows Mobile has more browser choices than many of its competitors.

Opera has been in the mobile browser game as long as anyone and their browsers are among the best. Opera Mini 5 Beta 2 is the latest and greatest from Opera’s Mini product. Traditionally a Java based application; Opera announced today that Opera Mini 5 is available as a native Windows Mobile application. There are technical reasons why having a native application is preferable over a Java based version. The bottom line is that a native Windows Mobile application should offer better performance, stability, and compatibility across a large array of devices.

My first impression with Opera Mini 5 is that it is FAST, though the rendering engine isn’t perfect. Mini 5 uses server side rendering; meaning that when you request a web page, a server somewhere actually downloads the files and formats it and compresses it before sending it along to your device. This method keeps your data usage to a minimum and doesn’t require as much processing power on your device. The Mini 5 UI is also very similar to what we’ve been playing with on the Opera Mobile 10 betas, which I consider a very clean and usable interface.

More information on the features you can expect from Opera Mini are available from Opera’s site. To download the application, point your mobile browser to http://m.opera.com/next/mini.