Unofficial

New fan-made Lumia 920 commercial impresses; Nokia take heed

News

By Daniel Rubino, Saturday, Jan 26, 2013 at 1:44 pm

We’ve seen some fairly awesome ‘fan made’ Windows Phone commercials in the past. The most famous was Brandon Foy, whose college project ended up landing him a job at Microsoft.

Now we have another school assignment that has caught the attention of a few, including this site. Made by Phong Luong and friends for their school project (follow the progress on their site), the ad works for us due to the solid music, retro-artsy look and of course focusing on the main features of the phone (PureView camera, wireless charging, unibody design). Plus it just pops out at us.

Control your Samsung Smart TV with Unofficial Samsung Remote for Windows Phone

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Sunday, Dec 9, 2012 at 9:04 pm

Unofficial Samsung Remote is an app that does exactly what the title suggests. The Windows Phone app enables users to control their Samsung Smart TV sets to take advantage of the television's advanced functionality that may not be available with the standard remote.

As well as changing channels, adjusting volume levels, navigating around the Smart Hub and inputing data into fields using the keyboard, the app boasts a number of features that's going to make any Samsung television owner drool.

Sweet Sync becomes first unofficial Sugar Sync client for Windows Phone

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Saturday, Jun 2, 2012 at 4:07 am

Although many of us are now hardcore SkyDrive users, some people still rely on or need Sugar Sync (www.sugarsync.com) for their file sharing and storing needs. And while Sugar Sync is working on a Windows Phone client, we have no ETA on when that app will arrive. So it's with great pleasure for us to see Sweet Sync on the Marketplace fulfilling that role.

The client offers most of what you would expect a mobile Sugar Sync client to offer:

Allows the creation, modification and deletion of any file or folder in your account, including received shares
Upload, Download and View Images
Create public links for your files and share them with friends
Open documents with public links directly on your phone (Not all filetypes can be opened)

We just took the app for a spin and it's hella-nice. Bold graphics (which are not Metro but still look nice), ease of use, plenty of options. Heck, we're impressed with it and while it may not replace our SkyDrive, we're not against adding extra storage when and where we can either.

Sugar Sync fetches for a fair $1.29 with a limited trial (read-only access). Our recommendation: if you use Sugar Sync, give it a shot. Even if the official app comes out, we tend to go with third-party devs for better support and more functionality. But that's us.

Pick up Sweet Sync here in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Travel in style. Unofficial Uber app arrives for Windows Phone.

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Monday, May 14, 2012 at 12:06 pm

Personally, we zip around the busy streets of Manhattan on our motorcycle because lane-splitting is the bomb but for the rest of you, especially those who sport a monocle, Uber may be more your cup of tea.

What's Uber (www.uber.com)? It's an on demand car service that's present in many cities including Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston, LA, Chicago and more. And by on-demand we mean you can use your phone to pin point your location, send an SMS and a driver will come ferry you away to your cigar club, opera or Taco Bell all the while shouting "Oh Belvedere!". All charges (including tips) are automatically billed to your credit card making this quite convenient for the leisure class.

The service has an iPhone and Android app but alas, nothing for Windows Phone. Now, developer FremontFidelity has put one on the Windows Phone Marketplace for free and it's quite nifty.

There's not much to it really. It pinpoints your location via GPS, translates that into a street address and then texts the Uber service with the info. You can also cancel your ride ($10 charge) all with the convenient touch of a button. In essence, the app is just shortcuts to these services and makes us wonder why Uber can't make an app.

Regardless, Uber towncar is free and gets the job done. We should note before you use the app you need to sign up at the Uber site and create an account.

Pick up Uber towncar here in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Thanks, Amir, for the tip

Unofficial list of new Microsoft Store openings

By Daniel Rubino, Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 12:30 am

With the announcement of a new Microsoft Store being built for Boston, lots of our readers anxiously await to see if Redmond will be coming to their areas soon. While Microsoft does not pre-announce these stores too far in advance, one way you can easily figure out is by simply looking up where they are hiring.

Yup, on the Microsoft Store Careers site they have many positions open and looking to be filled. What's more, these jobs are in cities not yet announced (but you can bet they will be soon). So, are you lucky?

We are. A store is opening in Huntington Station, NY, most likely at the Walt Whitman Mall. What else is at that shopping center? Why one the busiest Apple stores in New York (besides the Manhattan store). It certainly appears that Microsoft is gunning for Cupertino on their own turf and we'll be there to cover it.

Without further ado, the unofficial Microsoft Store list as compiled by reader Travis:

White Plains, NY
Huntington Station, NY
Newark, DE
Overland Park, KS
Salem, NH
Orlando, FL
Arlington, VA
Bridgewater, NJ (Bridgewater Commons)
Freehold, NJ (Raceway Mall)
Danbury, CT (Danbury Fair Mall)

Great to see the East coast finally getting some stores. Celebrate in comments. Thanks, Travis B., for the list; Image via the Denver Post

Google Voice client GoVoice gets new features in latest update for Windows Phone

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Sunday, Mar 18, 2012 at 2:15 pm

It's been awhile since we've seen GoVoice, an unofficial Google Voice client, get update so it's nice to see the developer Nick Yu still supporting the free app for Windows Phone.

The latest version, 3.4, just hit the Marketplace and brings some great features including:

Search! Now you can search all your SMS's and voicemails
Message list contact integration - no need to export contacts to Gmail to see contact names
Notification setup bug fixed. Now you can set up notification automatically
Bug fixes

Combined with the previous v3.3 update which brought Mango features (including the important fast-app switching, better notifications and pinnable new message), GoVoice feels like a pretty complete and solid Google Voice app for those who need it (we do since we have three different cell phone numbers, ahem and like free SMS).

Pick up GoVoice for free in the Marketplace here.

Unofficial Trello app now available for Windows Phone

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Saturday, Mar 17, 2012 at 5:11 am

We'll be honest---we had no idea what Trello was till just a little while ago. Evidently it's another free cloud-colloboration service that allows your group of co-workers, friends or colleagues to work together on a project. In short, you create boards, people can add notes and media to said boards and you get a timeline of those changes and who made them.

Now that we think about it, that does sound useful. So it's nice to know that (a) if you already use Trello or (b) you think Trello could be useful to you, there is an app for that.

Trellizzo, by Intertouch Media Technologies, is a free Windows Phone app that will access your account and evidently allow you to continue your collaboration via your WP7 device on the go--or at they very least, track those changes. The app is a little rough for a v1.0 with no Mango support...yet. But the devs are actively looking to update the app and are looking for user feedback (done through the app) which sounds good to us. Plus it is fast and nice looking.

You can sign up for Trello here on their site (or watch the video after the break) and pick up Trellizzo for your phone here in the Marketplace for free.

Unofficial Windows Phone Marketplace request site launches

By Daniel Rubino, Thursday, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:19 am

While we have a nice selection of apps on the Marketplace, we can certainly always use some more. And not just random apps but specific ones for certain services. The question is how do we let devs know?

One way is to simply vote. And now you can. Using the third-party service UserVoice, anyone can create a site that allows people to solicit feedback from customers and that's exactly what Scott Dorman, a Microsoft MVP, has done with Windows Phone Marketplace Requests. Folks can go there, type in an app and others can vote, it's really that simple.

Of course what does that mean? Well, it certainly is a way to gauge interest in apps but since this is not a Microsoft site and has no affiliation with the Windows Phone Marketplace, there's nothing really binding here. Furthermore, while many of us would like a Hulu app for Windows Phone, third-party devs can't access proprietary services, so requesting one here may not be the best way to get their attention.

Certainly feedback is good but in the end, there's only one thing that will bring more apps and services to Windows Phone: marketshare. When Microsoft's OS starts picking up steam, devs and companies will notice and respond accordingly. Until then, feel free to vote away.

Source: WP Marketplace Request; Original handout image via Shutterstock

Pandora apps Radio Controlled and MetroRadio working again

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Monday, Jan 16, 2012 at 2:56 pm

We reported a few days ago that Pandora once again changed their undocumented APIs thereby breaking Radio Controlled and MetroRadio. Luckily the "fix" was easy and both apps are back, fully working again as far as we can tell. In addition, both have some other fixes and new features on board:

Radio Controlled - Hitting version 2.0, this app has received many new features and changes including being more Metro-themed, Last.FM login for "scrobbling" and Driving mode. Driving Mode is perhaps the most exciting as it gives a large, finger-friendly UI for when using the app on the road. It allows you to like/dislike a song, play/stop or to skip. We found this part truly ingenious and tremendously useful. In addition, the new "more Metro" look to the app, artists-as-background and other options make this an awesome update. You can grab Radio Controlled here for free in the Marketplace.
MetroRadio - Now on v3.3, this update is mostly bug fixes and to address the API change from Pandora. Those fixes include getting songs, Live Tiles and MetroMP3 search service. That app you can also pick up for free in the Marketplace right here.

It's great to know that so long as Pandora remains obstinate, we have independent developers willing to give us what we want. QR codes after the break...

Unofficial Pandora app "Metro radio" for Windows Phone 7 in the works [Video]

By Rich Edmonds, Sunday, Nov 27, 2011 at 9:49 am

Should you be a Pandora user, this will be of great interest to you. We're already aware of the team getting cold feet last year when requests were in for a Windows Phone client, possibly due to no background audio. Now that Mango is here, some were hoping for any sign of progress with an app. To lighten things up slightly, we have an unofficial solution surfacing, which is being developed by Janabi Mustafa (see above demo).

Metro Radio will allow users to login with Pandora account credentials and display radio stations on the account with background streaming, album art, and liking options available. The app is set to be released next week, which will provide Windows Phone users with Pandora access.

Thanks Mustafa for the tip!

What's the best selling Windows Phone in France (unofficially)?

News

By Rob Alvarado, Thursday, Dec 30, 2010 at 1:32 pm

No official numbers exist for what WP7 device sells the best in France, but website Monsmartphone.net has done a bit of calculation based on their visitors' preferences. (Our French is a bit rusty, but according to Google Translate, evidently users can customize their homepage to the site--cool idea).

Taking a sample of 1,268 users, which is statistically large, the choices of which smartphone has the most users becomes quite evident. Let's see what they have:

Samsung Omnia 7 = 40% of users
HTC (Mozart, HD7, Trophy combined) = 44%
LG Optimus 7 = 16%

Of course, what is interesting is how one Samsung phone (Omnia 7) can nearly match three from HTC in user share at the site. Heck, even the LG holds it own against the HD7 (16% vs 13%).

Looks like Samsung is playing for keeps in the market though and taking names too.

Source: Monsmartphone; Thanks, Arnaud D., for the link!

Official WM6.5 Leaked for Touch Diamond 2 (Topaz)

By Phil Nickinson, Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009 at 1:34 am

While we AT&T Pure users here in the States enjoy our spanking new Windows Mobile 6.5, the unlocked Touch Diamond 2 released months ago is still awaiting the official upgrade from HTC. Gasp!

The date for the upgrade keeps coming and going, but it looks like Froidstar at XDA has gotten his/her hands on the official version, unofficially, of course.

It's an older build (2.07.58475) from July, which is evidently what HTC will be releasing to the masses. Hands-on reports are that it is very stable and fast so far.

So if you haven't rocked a custom WM6.5 update already (hard to believe) then you may want to give this a shot, or perhaps you "Chefs" need a new stable base to work from?