nokia

If there’s one sore spot with a certain segment of users it was how the release of Windows Phone 8 lacked FM radio support—something which had been around since the Zune player days. No reason was ever stated, though it’s a safe guess that it was something Microsoft simply did not have time to complete by October’s release schedule.

Now, according to sources at the Verge, that situation will change with the expected GDR2 update coming out later this summer. That addition will allow users, when headphones are plugged in, to use their Windows Phone as an FM radio—an important source of news and entertainment for many in emerging markets who can’t afford streaming data plans.

We're already aware of O2 UK preparing to launch the Lumia 720. Being the premium Windows Phone partner, the mobile operator has also managed to bag the red variant of the Nokia device, according to its website. It's expected to arrive in O2 stores (and online) next month. As well as the red version, the black Lumia 720 will also be stocked.

Should you be looking forward to getting your hands on either the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520, and happen to reside in Australia you may wish to check out Allphones. The retailer has listed both Windows Phones on the website with an option to register interest for alerts and updates as to when the smartphones will be available for purchase. We speculate that it cannot be more than a few weeks away.

Nokia isn't quite bringing sexy back, but we'll take the Apps Madness competition. The company is launching the contest to establish the best app, voted by the community. An article has been published on the official blog detailing the entries, all 32 of them. The apps have been selected and divided into four categories: games, social, news & entertainment and utilities & productivity.

A Nokia support respresentative has confirmed plans for the company to release the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 Windows Phones in India later this month and into April. Both Windows Phones were unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2013 and have started to appear in multiple markets. Now it's time for the new Windows Phone 8 devices to hit India and be available in an important, emerging market.

We could well be looking too much into something, but it's fun nonetheless. Nokia has published the above photo onto its Facebook account, which appears to be teasing solar charging for smartphones. The caption reads "Sun, sun, sun, here we come!" and we're not the first to question what exactly Nokia is teasing here.

Summer's well on the way (unless you live in England) and this would be a perfect opportunity to reveal solar technology on Windows Phones. Could Nokia simply be looking forward to picnics and the beach? Possibly, but then we already know the good weather will come.

Just as many gamers have shouted over the headset in excitement, "BOOM! HEAD SHOT!" Nokia has won a patent injunction against HTC in Germany. Yes, we're aware that many of you have grown tired of such news being covered, but it's a Windows Phone OEM being attacked by another, so it's certainly worth noting exactly what's going on.

It's reported HTC has since disabled the patented power-saving technique in question on affected hardware. This change will lead to poorer battery life, further hurting the Taiwanese product line which incorporates Qualcomm baseband chips. The company is fighting back and it's believed a deal will be struck between the two parties at some point.

If you’re a developer on Windows Phone, there’s probably a good chance you’ve heard of Richard Kerris, the Global Head of Developer Relations at Nokia. He’s the guy that oversaw some of those great outreach programs to help woo devs to Windows Phones and if it’s one thing we can agree on, Nokia has been largely successful here.