windows phone

Nokia and T-Mobile are teaming up for an event Dec. 14 in New York City, and it looks like we might well get our first glimpse of some sweet, sweet Nokia Windows Phone love here in the United States.

As you'll recall, we've already seen the Lumia 710 pass the FCC with its AWS bands intact, so that's a strong bet. Hopefully we'll get the Lumia 800 here as well. We've got our invite in hand. Guess we'll see what's what in a week.

More: Lumia 800 hands-on; Lumia 710 hands-on

The subject of the little LED indicator light on HTC Windows Phones has cropped up in a few of the WPCentral Forums discussions. Some are pleasantly surprised at seeing the little indicator, some are curious if it can be customized, and some are simply trying to figure out what it does.

The LED indicator light isn't anything new to HTC Windows Phones. As far as we can tell every Windows Phone from HTC has the little light. It's so subtle that it can be surprising when you finally notice it. I think it took me about a month before I noticed it on the HTC HD7S.  Then had to look at the HTC Surround to see if it had one of the lights (it does by the way).

The LED is a red/green combo that will flash red when the battery is low, when the battery is charging and turns green when the battery charge is complete or when you miss a call. It does not light up on new email messages or SMS messages.  There are no settings to customize the LED light but who knows what the future may bring.

If you've got an opinion on the LED indicator on the Titan or any other HTC Windows Phone, feel free to chime in over in the WPCentral Forums' HTC Section. Some like the little light, some hate it, while others would like to see it do more. What's your thoughts on the matter?

Thanks goes out to Steven for the tip!

Storage is an important aspect of your Windows Phone. Whether you're just downloading a few apps and games, taking pictures & video, or (like me) loading a whole load of music onto your device ready for your commutes into work, you need to have the gigabytes to hold that information on your phone.  However, how much storage memory is needed can vary from individual to individual.

So when you're making the decision on which phone to spend your hard earned money on, and particularly when you are committing to a long term contract, you should be considering the advertised storage on the device. Remember that storage on a Windows Phone cannot be supplemented with a micro SD card.

It's fairly common knowledge that the advertised '16GB' or '8GB' of storage is not the amount you actually end up with, the amount varies based on the filesystem, type of storage, and system files. But what you may not realise is just how much of a difference there is between some of the new 2nd generation phones out there on the market right now.

Luckily, here at WPCentral we've got you covered, and have put together the list below which shows the reported "Total Storage" for each of our review devices.  "Total Storage" is essentially the storage space your Windows Phone can see or be used for file storage.

 

HTC Titan 16GB 12.89GB HTC Radar 8GB 6.54GB Samsung Focus S 16GB 14.07GB Samsung Focus Flash 8GB 6.67GB Nokia Lumia 800 16GB 13.8GB

As you can see, certainly with devices claiming '16GB' of storage there's quite a divide, and if every single bit counts to you, it would definitely be worth considering these figures when you're picking up a new Windows Phone.

Is your device showing a different figure?  Check the 'about' screen in your phone's settings and then sound off in the comments!

Okay... so you just purchased your brand new Windows Phone from AT&T and read about the upcoming Penny Sale. No need to start banging your head against the wall or scrambling to return the phone.  You may have some relief.

The HTC Radar 4G is now available at Cincinnati Bell for $99 with a two-year contract.  The price includes a $50 mail-in rebate, as well a $35 "web special."  That $35 special discount offsets the activation fee of the same price.

If you are one who tends to fear commitment, you can go contract-free for $299.99, after $50 instant savings and a $50 rebate.  Free shipping is also included.

The Radar runs a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM and 8GB storage, along with a 3.7" screen and 5MP camera.  It is a middle-of-the-road Mango phone, and a favorite amongst our crew.

Source: CincinnatiBell (Thanks for the tip, Josh!)

UPDATE: One of our readers, Gary, pointed out something that slipped by us.  Unbeknownst to us, apparently the HTC Radar is an Android device...or so it says under the Tutorials tab on Cincinnati Bell's site.  We have left a voicemail with their media relations department to make them aware of the faux pas. Thanks, Gary!

UPDATE #2: It looks like word got to the right people.  The good folks over at Cincinnati Bell emailed us to let us know that the Android reference has been removed, along with the entire Tutorials tab.  We would have liked to have seen a similar tab praising WP7 in its stead, but at least potential customers won't get something they are not expecting.  Thanks to Eric at Cincinnati Bell!

Now this is slightly disturbing, and upsetting news we've received word of today. Our fellow brother website in Sweden, the most popular Swedish Windows Phone website, has announced that their doors will be closing. Why? Due to Microsoft's arrogance, which can be read in the above email shot and was sent to Toni Johansson, the editor. For a translation on what is said in the above email:

Toni,

I have got the money to make a real effort to give your site a facelift – metro design, HTML5, I’ve signed the people that will do the work, and also checked some other things that we could do to help to manage the site – but seriously, – you really put an end to that today (see yellow below).

Not a chance that we’ll continue after this!

Good luck!

//Anders

The above text would be seen as a joke at first glance (the yellow  quote is Toni's signature - "Sent from my iPhone"), with the whole "why are you using an iPhone? Lulz", but it would seem that it wasn't a joke as Toni met up with Anders and he explains that the meeting was of the same tone, context and arrogance. He was later informed that this wasn't a mere grudge from a Microsoft employee, but an official statement from the company. All because Toni uses an iPhone as a private handset.

Now that the work required to get WinMobile.se up-to-date with design and structure requires Toni to dump his iPhone and have the software giant control his personal life, it makes sense that he would cut up and close the website down due to being treated like this. This could have a severe negative impact on Microsoft in Sweden (as well as Windows Phone), since this is a top website in the country. Losing this resource and free platform for exposure and promotion will lower the level of reach.

While we can't judge on the situation, and can only provide insight into what is reportedly happening, we hope that Microsoft retracts statements made, re-engages Toni in active communication (preferably with a different contact) and ensures that private life is kept private. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: WinMobile.se