Microsoft may be languishing behind Apple and Google in the mobile operating system stakes, but that hasn't stopped the Redmond outfit from coning out on the offensive with its latest Windows Phone ad. You can check it out after the jump.
Windows Phone is still not quite gaining the traction it needs to worry the likes of Apple and Google, but few can argue that Microsoft hasn't made some important improvements to the platform since its introduction. Things like copy and paste are now part of Windows Phone, when they were once just a pipe dream. With Microsoft already working to bring a new version of Windows to the desktop, the speculation is now all about where the Redmond firm will take Windows Phone when it receives its next update.
Whatever your thoughts on Windows Phone 8 might be, it's hard to argue that it doesn't hold a lot of potential. In a world where iOS and Android rule the roost, it's refreshing to see something like Windows Phone, whether it's your choice of mobile operating system or not. The undoubted problem with Windows Phone though, is its lack of quality apps.
Windows Phone's unique functionality and innovative take on the mobile ecosystem in general has drawn a fair few admirers, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who famously described it as "beautiful" . For all of its plus points however, the real test of a piece of software's credibility is not just in how good it is, but also how many people are willing to use it, and at the moment, neither developers or consumers seem interested enough in Windows Phone for Microsoft to launch a notable challenge against iOS or Android. One app that could really help draw more consumers is Instagram, and although it's been somewhat up in the air as to whether the Facebook-owned app would be making an appearance on Windows Phone, Nokia appears to have stepped out and confirmed that, in fact, it will.
You'd struggle to find any group of people more aware of Instagram's popularity than those stranded on the currently-unsupported Windows Phone platform, and although we've heard murmurings that an official version for Microsoft's fledgling platform could be forthcoming, said users have had to make the best of the scores of third-party apps offering very limited functionality. While the Instagram API has prevented any WP developer from creating an app with direct uploading capabilities, an interesting attempt to circumvent this (using a middleman server) has been devised by the folks at Venetasoft, and having already garnered a sneak peek at what the company's Instagraph app could offer to Instagram fans, the app is now officially available for download.
Although things have been somewhat quiet from Nokia and Windows Phone 8 in light of the upcoming smartphone releases from Samsung and HTC, the camera of the Finnish company's Lumia 920 is still considered among the best in the business. Conversely, the Samsung Galaxy S Series' snappers have tended to underperform, and while Nokia's flagship completely smoked the Galaxy S III in terms of still camera performance (particularly in low light), the Galaxy S4's much-hyped 13-megapixel offering brings the kinds of improvements you would expect of a next-gen handset. To test one category, one user has taken the opportunity to produce a stabilization comparison video of Samsung's apparent best video camera against that of the 920, which of course includes that much-lauded PureView technology. Which came out on top? Find out, after the break!
The Windows Phone Store is missing quite a lot of apps just now, and although we're not all hipsters with a compulsion to take a square photo before filtering and sharing, Instagram has been mentioned ad nauseam as the sort of app Microsoft needs on board if its fledgling ecosystem is to go the distance. As Windows Phone users still continue to wait and hope for an Instagram app, and unofficial offering by the name of Instagraph is best attempt we've seen at emulating the experience, allowing for photos to be uploaded to the network right from within the app. It looks promising, and although we had better hold off the celebrations while the approval process runs its course, Windows Phone users could be just a short while away from being able to edit and upload their images straight from their handset.
Fans of VoIP app Viber will today have noticed that an update to their free calling and texting app of choice has popped up, assuming they’re using a Windows Phone 8 device that is.
Instagram is frequently mentioned as one of the many common apps yet to make its way to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, but as users continue to wait for the Facebook-owned app to make its way to the Windows Phone Store, several competitors have emerged looking to offer snap happy WP users a way of sharing snaps with friends and family. Joining the likes of Eye 'Em in the ranks of so-called 'Instagram killers' comes Photoplay, a relatively new app was published to the Windows Phone Store little under a week ago. Compatible only with the newer breed of Windows Phone (8) at this point, a version for the older WP7.x is currently in the works, and with its clean, sleek interface fitting in rather nicely with the look and feel of the Redmond company's mobile OS, it certainly has great potential.
Some claims just seem too much to believe, so when Microsoft's Frank Shaw claimed that the company's Windows Phones had in fact outsold Apple's hugely popular iPhone in seven different markets, more than a few of us were a little skeptical. Turns out he was right, but he didn't tell the entire story. More details right after the jump.
