Windows Phone Device Stats: January 2014

With January on the way out, AdDuplex returns with an interesting look at Windows Phone usage for the month. Also worth discussing: Why Nokia Lumia sales were down quarter over quarter in Q4 2013, but actual Windows Phone sales to customers—and thus activations—were in fact up. It's all here in this month's peek at Windows Phone device usage.

As you may remember, AdDuplex bills itself as the largest cross-promotion network for Windows Phone and Windows 8 apps, empowering developers and publishers to promote their apps for free by helping each other. And each month it provides a tantalizing glimpse at which Windows Phone (and Windows) devices people are actually using.

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How Nokia's fake Windows phone could save the real one

Something very interesting is going on at Nokia: The company apparently believes that the look, feel, and underlying services of the Microsoft Windows Phone operating system may be more important than, well, the OS itself. 

According to reports, Nokia is finalizing development on “Normandy,” the code name for a low-end Android phone. Reports published this week say that the phone will be marketed as the Nokia X, but built upon much the same hardware platform as the Lumia 520, Nokia’s cheapest Lumia smartphone. Not surprisingly, representatives for Nokia declined to comment.

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Apple Said To Be Focusing On Health With iOS 8 And iWatch, Following Exec Meeting With FDA

Apple’s plans for iOS 8 focus on redefining health tracking via mobile devices, according to a new report from 9to5Mac, which has a terrific track record when it comes to rumors it has sourced itself. The report details a new marquee application coming in iOS 8 called “Healthbook” that monitors all aspects of health, fitness and workout information, including vitals monitored via the new iWatch, which is said to pack a bevy of sensors and to be “well into development” according to 9to5Mac’s sources.

The health monitoring app called “Healthbook” will come pre-installed on iOS 8, which, if true, would be a huge blow to third-party apps including those made by Fitbit, Nike, Runkeeper and Withings just to name a few. It would track and report steps, calories burned, distance walked and more, including weight fluctuations, and blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate and more.

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Why Google's Motorola sell-off is very good news for Windows Phone

Google's sale of Motorola to Lenovo is the best news that Windows Phone has had in a long time. It could mean a serious Lenovo-Motorola commitment to Microsoft's smartphone operating system.

Before Google bought Motorola Mobility in mid-August, 2011, Motorola was eying developing a Windows Phone device. Motorola Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Jha told an investors conference less than a week before the sale that "we'll certainly be open" to Windows Phone, according to Bloomberg.

Once the sale was announced, though, it was clear that Windows Phone was not going to be in Motorola's future. Google was not going to build a phone based on Microsoft's smartphone operating system. Google CEO Larry Page made that clear when he said this in announcing the buyout:

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Microsoft backpedals: Windows 8.1 update hides tile interface by default

Microsoft is once again planning to alter the way its Start Screen works in Windows 8.1 Update 1. While the software giant originally released Windows 8.1 last year with an option to bypass the "Metro" interface at boot, sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge that the upcoming update for Windows 8.1 will enable this by default. Like many other changes in Update 1, we’re told the reason for the reversal is to improve the OS for keyboard and mouse users.

We understand the latest internal builds of Windows 8.1 Update 1 have the boot-to-desktop option enabled by default, a change that Wzor noted earlier today. The update is still in development, and Microsoft could alter this further before it ships, but it's currently being changed to appease desktop users. It may seem like a minor change, but the move reverses parts of Microsoft’s original vision for Windows 8. While some critics argued Microsoft simply forced the Start Screen interface onto desktop PCs with little regard for keyboard and mouse users, the company pitched its "Metro" environment as the future of Windows. With the interface booting by default, developers had an opportunity to place their apps front and center on millions of PCs.

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SwiftKey Note Brings the Basics of a Favorite Android Keyboard to iOS

If you were to make a list of the biggest, most platform-defining differences between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, one point would be near the top: Android lets you plug third-party keyboards into the operating system, and iOS does not.

On Android, one of the most popular of those alternative keyboards is SwiftKey. And now it’s available for iOS — sort of. It’s part of SwiftKey Note, a free note-taking app for iPhone and iPad which is debuting today.

The app’s keyboard looks like the standard iOS one, but incorporates a bunch of the features which have made SwiftKey successful on Android. As you type a word, three possibilities appear above the keyboard, any one of which you can select with a tap. Once you’ve completed a word, three possibilities for the next word you might want to type appear. And as you use the app, SwiftKey learns about your typing habits, helping its autocorrections to actually be correct and its next-word predictions to be useful.

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ZTE to launch new Windows 8 tablet?

ZTE V98 tablet

ZTE has teased plans to launch a new Windows 8 tablet, suggesting such a device could be a “good penetration point” into Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Although remaining slightly hesitant on the launch of future Windows Phone handsets, the Chinese manufacturer has revealed that a new Windows 8 tablet could be on the horizon.

“We are watching closely the Windows Phone OS space. Probably tablet is a good penetration point for us,” Waiman Lam, ZTE’s Senior Director of Wireless Devices said speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews.

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Windows Phone 8.1 Pictures Leak With Notifications Centre

A real Windows Phone 8.1 screenshot shows the upcoming notification centre

Leaked images of Windows Phone 8.1 show the update will feature a much-rumoured and anticpated notifications and quick settings menus.

Microsoft insider and editor of The Verge, Tom Warren, has tweeted an image of the upcoming update claiming it is the only real leak available.

The blurry image shows off four quick settings toggles for GPS, brightness, Wi-Fi and Flight mode. Then it seems like the user can choose which exact apps they want notifications from, so you can turn off notifications from your email or messaging, for example.

There’s also an option to allow banners, we aren’t too clear on what that means at this point in time - perhaps it's similar to toast notifications?

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First leaked pictures of Windows Phone 8.1 notification center

It's no secret Microsoft is working on the Windows Phone 8.1 update that is supposed to bring notification center and intelligent voice assistant among other features. We've heard rumors and seen lots of alleged shots before, but today we finally get a glimpse of the real deal.

The leaked photos show the settings of the upcoming notification center and are from an early test build of the WP 8.1

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Chrome Apps are coming to iOS and Android

News broke last month that Google was working on bringing Chrome web apps to mobile devices, with a plan to have something ready in beta form by January. Google has delivered; the company released a tool set today for developers to port their apps to iOS and Android.

As previously reported, Google has developed a compatibility layer using the open source Apache Cordova toolchain to allow programmers to wrap their apps in a native app shell and distribute the app on the App and Google Play stores. The tool also ports the necessary Chrome APIs the web apps would typically need on mobile, like notifications and access to local storage. The toolchain is currently an early preview, so improvements are surely on the way.

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Microsoft's monumental task in Windows 9: Win back the base

At CES 2014, computer makers were already looking past Windows 8. Here's what Microsoft can do to get vendors and computer buyers back on the bandwagon in Windows 9. 

The executive frantically tapped several different keys on the svelte new laptop he was demonstrating, but nothing happened. The screen didn't change. He paused, started tapping furiously again. Still nothing.

"Wait just a second, let me go grab another machine," he said.

He sped into the other room and came back with an identical looker of the new laptop. With an exhale and a smile he launched back into his demo--the same spiel he'd given to countless journalists in his company's hospitality suite throughout the week at CES 2014.

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Nokia X Android phone won't play with Google Play says leak

The Nokia X may be Nokia's first Android phone, but don't expect to get your apps from Google Play. A new leak suggests the hotly-rumoured phone, also known as the Nokia Normandy, will stock up on a Nokia Store.

The rumoured phone is reported to run Android 4.4. KitKat software, but is heavily altered and -- if leaked snaps are to be believed -- looks a lot like Windows Phone. It's set to get apps from an own-brand app store and third party apps outlets.

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Android holds steady as iOS and Windows Phone slip in Kantar reports

The closing months of 2013 saw Android gain ground on rivals in much of Europe and the US, as iOS and Windows Phone saw mixed results in the global market.

Research firm Kantar Worldpanel reported that Android grew its market share in key countries in Europe, as well as the US and China, in 2012. Amongst the 'EU5' group of Great Britain, Spain, France, Italy and Germany, Android garnered 68.6 per cent share, up from 62.9 per cent last year.

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Nokia X spec leaks, but will it run Android or Windows Phone?

Images of the Nokia X — and possibly Nokia’s take on Android — already leaked to the web. Now the phone’s specs have also been spilled.

The hardware details, which come courtesy of the ultra-reliable @evleaks, reveal a very modest phone. Once thought to have a Snapdragon 200 8225Q quad-core chip, @evleaks has posted that it’s actually a dual-core Snapdragon clocked at 1GHz that will power the Nokia X.

With just 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, it’s clearly been built in the same mold as Nokia’s other low-end Windows Phone devices. It’s also pegged as having a 4-inch, 800 by 480 display, micro SD expansion, and a 5MP rear-facing camera.

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This is what iOS for cars looks like

Apple announced its plans to bring iOS to your car back in June, and we're finally getting a peek at what that might look like in action. While we're still waiting on vehicles that actually support Apple's iOS in the Car integration to see how it truly works, developer Steven Troughton-Smith was able to look at an early version of it by emulating a car's display from his Mac, using code from iOS 7.0.3.

In a video, Troughton-Smith demonstrates how Apple Maps looks under the recent version of iOS' in-car integration. The actual map takes up the car's entire display in most cases, with translucent control panels partially masking its top and bottom. On top are touchscreen shortcuts to search for a location, browse bookmarks, visit recent destinations, and look up information about your location and nearby traffic.

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Windows Phone growth plateaus in Europe, Xiaomi beats Samsung in China

Nokia and Windows Phone's impressive growth in Europe last year hit a wall in the final months of 2013 — stuck, it seems, at 10 percent. 


The rapid rise of Windows Phone in Europe last year, due mainly to increases in Nokia sales — in particular its low-end Lumia 520 and 620 — came to end in the three months to December 31, according to figures from Kantar World Panel Comtech published on Monday.

Despite Nokia being the third most commonly "gifted" smartphone brand in the all-important Christmas period (behind Samsung and Apple), it failed to move the needle in Europe for Windows Phone.

Across Europe's big five markets (Germany, the UK, France, Italy, and Spain), Windows Phone accounted for 10.3 percent of sales, up year-on-year, but flat quarter-on-quarter.

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Windows 9 Features: What we want to see from ‘Threshold’

Threshold is the leaked codename term that refers to the launches of Windows 9, Windows Phone 9 and a major Xbox One update in 2015. It will see Windows reach a crucial point - that will bring either rejuvenation or the slide to irrelevance. 

Windows Phone’s momentum will be up against iOS 8 and Android 5.0, and Windows 9 will desperately try to restore the public confidence lost by Windows 8. Both need to up their game to compete. 

Windows 9 is the most important of the lot. The desktop PC remains the one sector where Microsoft remains completely dominant and it is the foundation upon which it builds everything else. As such the pressure for Microsoft to bounce back and maintain its ‘one good, one bad’ OS release record has never been greater. 

What does Windows 9 need to achieve that? We take a look:

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Could We Get A 12-Inch MacBook Air With Retina Display In 2014?

The Retina MacBook Pro comes in both 13-inch and 15-inch varieties, but when will the MacBook Air go Retina? Analyst Daniel Matte speculates that it could happen soon, and when it does, there will be three MacBooks with Retina Displays: the 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and a 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina Display. Twelve?

It actually makes some sense. As Matte points out, if Apple doubles the existing 1366 x 762 resolution of the MacBook Air, they could do this most easily by recutting existing iPad Retina Displays at 264 ppi to create a 2732 x 1536 display.

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Apple CFO says 80% of iOS devices now on iOS 7

Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said 80 percent of all iOS devices have now upgraded to iOS 7.

Oppenheimer made the comment on a conference call to analysts on Monday following its fiscal first-quarter results.

The latest version of iOS was met with mixed reactions due to the radical changes of the design, which opts for a more flat, minimalist view favored by Apple design guru Jony Ive.

That so many iOS devices are on iOS 7makes it easier for developers to create apps for the platform. It's one of the major advantages touted by Apple.

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A beginner’s guide to Windows Phone

Windows Phone is making small strides in some markets as it looks to dent the dominance of Android and iOS. But yes, it does have some way to go before it can lay-claim to any smartphone throne.

Recent figures suggest Windows Phone 7 and 8 constitute more than 10% of UK smartphone sales, while across other major European markets Windows Phone 8 represents around 1 in 10 of all smartphone sales. Some data even suggests itovertook iOS in Italy between July and September.

With BlackBerry on its way out of the consumer market, Windows Phone is currently the only real contender for iOS and Android, but its market share is still dwarfed by the big guns. Indeed, there’s every chance that you’ve never seen one in the flesh, let alone used one.

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Apple engineer says OS X and iOS will not merge

For quite some time now, there have been whispers and even some indications, like the increased integration between iOS and Mac OS X, that the two would merge into a single operating system at some point down the line. However, if you ask one Apple engineer, that event is simply not on Apple’s calender.

Who better to common on, and pour cold water all over, the notion of OS X and iOS being melded into a single piece of software than Craig Federighi, who is Cupertino’s lead on software engineering. Here’s what he had to say when he spoke with Macworld:

“The reason OS X has a different interface than iOS isn’t because one came after the other or because this one’s old and this one’s new.”

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Cydia Tweak: SubtleLock Can Give Your iOS 7 Lock Screen A More Elegant Look

Apple might have slimmed down its mobile OS in iOS 7, but if the resulting effect isn't minimalistic enough for you one new jailbreak tweak can help. Called SubtleLock (iOS 7), it's an updated – but separate – iteration of its iOS 6 counterpart, SubtleLock (iOS 6), and as its name suggests this most recent jailbreak tweak can give the iOS 7 Lock screen a minimalistic new look.

Once you've got the $1 SubtleLock up and running, you'll notice that a new Lock screen interface has been added to your iDevice, and this can be configured from within a dedicated preferences pane in the Settings app. Here, users can alter how the jailbreak tweak affects their iPhone, and options for the clock, slider, and general appearance are available.

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Forget 6tindr, official Tinder app for Windows Phone is underway

Last week Rudy Huyn released 6tindr for Windows Phone, an unofficial app for the Tinder social platform. Later that week, the app was removed from the Store based on a complaint filed by Tinder. But the story didn't end there. The Tinder team is now working with Rudy Huyn to develop the official version of the app, which will be hitting the Store very soon. 

After breaking this news on Twitter, Huyn spoke with our good friends over at WPCentral to reveal some more information. Huyn will be working with the Tinder developers to code an official app, meanwhile, 6tindr will be dead in the water.

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Nokia’s Weak Lumia Sales Stall Windows Phone’s Momentum

Nokia confirmed today that it sold 8.2 million Lumia Windows Phone devices in the fourth quarter of 2013. That figure represents a decline of 600,000 from the third quarter in which Nokia sold 8.8 million Lumia handsets.

The fall comes on the cusp of the sale of the majority of Nokia’s hardware assets to Microsoft, meaning that the slip is more Microsoft’s problem than Nokia’s. But it is a weak indicator for the larger Windows Phone platform that was showing signs of gathering momentum.

Last year was an excellent one for Windows Phone. Nokia sold 4.4 million devices in the fourth quarter of 2012, meaning that total volume nearly doubled on a year-over-year basis. And, except for the fourth quarter, Lumia sales expanded like clockwork in the year. Between the second and fourth quarters of the year, for example, Nokia sales expanded from 7.4 million to 8.8 million, a healthy quarterly delta of 1.4 million.

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Here's what Windows Phone's rumored digital assistant needs to win you over

Microsoft has packed a wealth of features into the Windows Phone platform. It has live tiles that keep you constantly privy to what’s happening, notifications on the lock screen, and even Office integration. But it still lacks one crucial element that has helped both Android and iOS rise to the top: an all-knowing personal digital assistant.

Let’s face it, Windows Phone 8’s current offering pales in comparison to Siri and Google Now. There’s some light at the end of the tunnel, though: Recent rumorssuggest that Windows Phone 8.1 will be unveiled at the Build conference in April, and that a key feature will be a new voice assistant, code-named Cortana. You know, like Master Chief’s AI sidekick in the Halo franchise. In fact, rumors have it that the new assistant will even be voiced by Jen Taylor, the popular voice actress who has played Cortana in all the Halo games. 

The service is expected to do more than respond to simple voice commands. And although we don’t have much concrete info to go on, we know the bar Microsoft has to clear. If Cortana is to be more than just Microsoft’s version of what Apple and Google did two years ago, it will need to deliver big in the following six key areas.

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Windows 8's latest victim: Windows Phone sales

In the best of all possible worlds, Microsoft would've spent the last three years building a solid mobile operating system, while making nips and tucks to the desktop that we all know and love to swear at. Instead, we got Windows 8/8.1/Update 1,neither fish nor fowl, toaster nor refrigerator.

In a completely different universe, Microsoft delivered Windows Phone 8 -- released at the end of October -- which bears at best superficial similarities to Windows 8. Microsoft not only squandered its developers' efforts on a desktop/laptop/tablet/hybrid/server design that nobody wants to buy. It also pulled the rug out from under the real mobile folks, the ones developing for Windows Phone. Now the quacking ugly duckling has come home to roost.

Nokia just released its financial report for Q4 2013 and Full Year 2013 (PDF), and the results for Windows Phone are so bad that they aren't even broken out -- swept under the rug of "discontinued operations" as, presumably, the sale of Nokia's phone unit to Microsoft should complete soon. The most information we get in the financial report goes like this:

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iWork for iOS and Mac Updated With Password-Protected Sharing, New Features [Updated]

Along with an update for its iWork for iCloud apps that brought an iOS 7-style redesign, Apple today released updates for its iWork apps for both Mac and iOS, as well as minor updates for both iMovie for Mac and Podcasts for iOS. 

All of Apple's iWork apps, including its iWork for iCloud apps, now have support for more secure document viewing with password-protected sharing capabilities. 

In addition to password-protected documents, Keynotefor iOS has also gained new transitions and a built-in remote function, which will likely replace the standaloneKeynote Remote app, while Numbers for iOS now offers landscape viewing and the ability to edit spreadsheets. 

Keynote for Mac has gained new transitions, improved display options, the ability to share password-protected presentations via iCloud, and charts with time, date, and duration values. The update also includes improved compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 presentations and support for custom number charts on imported Keynote '09 and PowerPoint presentations. 

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Windows 8.1 Update 1: screenshots surfaced show improvements in desktop mode

The release of Windows 8.1 Update 1 is expected at the time about the Build developer conference - so in early April. It will bring an approach to the mobile OS Windows Phone, whose next edition should also be present at build - although possibly only in the form of a trial or preview.

The screenshots of WZor show that (formerly Metro) can be pinning on the desktop taskbar Windows Store apps. Whether the app would run when you click on the desktop or hijack the user in the Metro environment, you can not see it unfortunately. The transition between the two would be so or so relieved. Especially users who prefer to work in the traditional desktop mode and with accessibility features such as keyboard and mouse, so would get a help.

Paul Thurrott has already been reported on Windows Super Site, Microsoft will allow users with an update, ModernUI / Metro style apps run in windows on the desktop - and not only in full-screen mode. In addition, it should be another kind Start menu - and a way to ModernUI / Metro apps to close by mouse click, as is the case with desktop windows. However, all three changes are not found in Windows 8.1 Update 1, but only in a later update - either in 2014 or 2015 with threshold or Windows 9

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Windows 8 developers are shunning WinJS

One of the stranger decisions that Microsoft made when developing Windows 8 was that the new model of building apps was to be based not on .NET, but rather on a new development technology called Windows Runtime (WinRT).

The real reason why this decision was made has never been officially confirmed. A theory held by common folk is that Steven Sinofsky had an axe to grind against .NET having blamed it for "that whole Vista thing".Personally, that's a theory I subscribe to.

.NET is a wonderful set of technologies and one of the best things Microsoft has ever come up with. Why they would ditch a decade's worth of refinement and replace it with something new is baffling at best.

Anyway, the very much perceived advantage that WinRT gives the world over .NET is that it make it possible to build native Windows Store apps in HTML and JavaScript, rather than insisting that developers know .NET.

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Jimmy Fallon Hides His MacBook During Interview With Microsoft's Bill Gates [Video]

Check out this humorous clip of Jimmy Fallon hiding his Apple MacBook, keyboard, and Magic Mouse during an interview with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.

Gates was on the show to talk about the 'Next Big Thing'.

Bill Gates tells Jimmy how he feels a computer's ability to interact to sight, sound and motion could change the way the world uses technology.

Take a look at the clip below. Skip ahead to 1:38 for the relevant portion.

[via Andre]

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Apple: Random iOS 7 crashes to be remedied in “upcoming software update”

If you've been experiencing random crashes on your iPhone or iPad since you updated to iOS 7, you're apparently not alone. Apple is aware of a bug that randomly reboots iOS 7 devices, and the company has told Mashable that the problem will be fixed "in an upcoming software update."

We've experienced this problem a few times on our various iOS 7 devices, though there doesn't seem to be any repeatable set of steps that consistently makes them crash. When they do crash, the devices reboot, and you are temporarily kicked to the same Apple logo splash screen you see when you power on your phone or tablet.

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iOS 7.1 update to fix random home screen crash issue

Some users of iOS 7 have been reporting a bug where the home screen randomly crashes, and for them, Apple said that a new version of the OS (presumably iOS 7.1 which in beta is being seeded to developers), will feature a fix for the issue. "We have a fix in an upcoming software update for a bug that can occasionally cause a home screen crash."

An Apple spokesperson made the statement to Mashable. The problem has been reported by users across the rank and file of the Apple diaspora. The bug causes random reboots of the screen, and depending on the colour of the iPhone, the home screen crashes and goes either white or goes completely black. iPhones running the iOS version 7 are susceptible to the crashes. Some phones have been reported to be affected if the battery percentage falls below 30.

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Bing Translator App Updated for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 with Speech-to-Speech Input

When I was a kid watching Star Trek, I fully expected that I'd see the tech from the TV show in my lifetime. Star Trek really excited me about technology and is definitely one reason why I eventually settled into the field. As I got older and went into technology as a profession, I kept waiting and waiting. In most respects, I'm still waiting.

There are some Star Trek technology that has come to fruition like cell phones (communicators), food technology (microwaves), lasers and others. The transporter was my favorite and is the one thing I most hope to see before I die.

Today, Microsoft gave me new hope that we've not become too stagnate and that we're still on a steady course to see even more Star Trek tech in the near future.  Today, Microsoft updated its Bing Translator app for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 that brings speech-to-speech language translations. I may have to plan a trip out of country (or, out of the galaxy) just to test it.

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Adidas miCoach for Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices updated with stride sensor integration and more

The Adidas miCoach app, made in conjunction with Nokia, now sports a range of new features enabled by an update to the Nokia Lumia Black version of the Windows Phone operating system, which began rolling out on Friday.

Among the new features are support for pairing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) heart rate monitors with any handset running the Lumia Black software, stride sensor integration for closer tracking of progress via a sensor that goes in your shoe or on your shoelace, and a new lap splits option for comparing information about your runs.

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iOS 7.1 Update Breakdown (iPhone, iPad)

At some point in the future, Apple will release yet another iOS 7 update in the form of iOS 7.1. We know this because iOS 7.1 currently sits in the beta process as developers poke and prod it ahead of its release. With iOS 7.1 on the minds of iPhone and iPad owners around the world, we want to breakdown the upcoming iOS 7.1 update and take a look at some of the key questions that we’ve been asked about Apple’s next big iOS 7 release.

Last September, Apple made good on a promise to iPhone and iPad owners in the United States and elsewhere. In June, it promised to release iOS 7, a revamped version of its mobile software, one that not only delivered new features but a brand new look as well. The company released iOS 7 to the public shortly after the iPhone 5s launch and since then, the software has reigned as the most current version of iOS software.

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