Details on Microsoft's next major smartphone may have just leaked

Business InsiderAn older model Windows Phone.

Two new flagship Windows Phone 10 devices are on the horizon for release later this year, according to Unleash The Phones.

The last flagship devices released for the Windows Phone operating system was the Verizon-exclusive Lumia Icon and the Lumia 930 back in February 2014.

The larger of the phones, codenamed "Cityman," will sport a 5.7-inch display and a 20-megapixel rear-facing camera, according to the report.

The smaller phone, dubbed "Talkman," will don a 5.2-inch display, as well as a similar 20-megapixel rear camera. 

Both phones will likely run Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 10, which is said to work seamlessly with the Windows 10 PC operating system. Windows 10, which will launch later this year, is designed to run on all devices from phones to tablets to desktop PCs. Microsoft hopes this will help encourage developers to start making apps for Windows Phones.

Microsoft has been holding off on releasing a flagship phone until Windows 10 is finished. The report from Unleash The Phones didn't have precise timing for when Microsoft is expected to release its new flagship devices, but they should be here in the second half of the year.

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Monument Valley Brings its Award-winning World to Windows Phone

By roger Date: May 03 2015 Views:

Not played Monument Valley yet? Was it because you went for a Windows Phone instead of any other device? Well then, you've got no excuse anymore, as it's now available on Microsoft's smartphone. If you weren't already aware, Monument Valley sees you solving mind-bending, M.C. Escher inspired puzzles in a beautiful, minimalist world.

It's also won a whole heap of awards from just about everyone. We loved it too, with our reviewer giving it a Gold Award and calling it "a short, revelatory slice of almost perfectly pure gaming."

Source: pocketgamer

Two new Lumia flagship smartphones with Quad HD displays rumored

A report published by UnleashThePhones claims Microsoft is working on two Lumia flagship smartphones that are expected to be announced later this year.

The phablet sized Lumia flagship has allegedly been codenamed 'Cityman' and will feature a 5.7-inch Quad HD resolution display, Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core chipset, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage with a microSD card slot for further expansion, 20 MP rear camera with Triple-LED flash, 5MP front-facing camera, and a 3,300 mAh capacity battery that will apparently be user-replaceable.

For the folks who prefer a more compact flagship device, Microsoft will offer the 'Talkman' with a smaller 5.2-inch Quad HD display. It will offer similar specifications as its phablet sibling, except for a few differences. Instead of an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, the 'Talkman' will be powered by a hexa-core Snapdragon chipset. We're guessing the chipset in question could the Snapdragon 808, but we cannot be absolutely sure just yet. It will also offer a smaller capacity battery – 3,000mAh instead of 3,300mAh.

Both the smartphones will reportedly run Windows 10 and are expected to be launched in the second half of this year.

Source: UnleashThePhones

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Android Apps May Be Coming To Windows Phones: Will It Help Resurrect Microsoft's Mobile Dream?

Microsoft has unveiled new tools for developers to bring their apps developed for iOS and Android to Windows Phone, a move that could hugely kickstart Microsoft's mobile presence.(Photo : Nigel Treblin | Getty Images)

Microsoft has unveiled a set of tools that will allow Android developers to quickly compile the code for their apps for Windows Phone devices.

This should lead to a huge increase in apps available for Windows Phone devices, with a lack of apps being one of the main problems that Microsoft has faced with its mobile offerings.

"We want to enable developers to leverage their current code and current skills to start building those Windows applications in the Store, and to be able to extend those applications," said Terry Myerson, a spokesperson for Microsoft, in an interview.

The move should help Microsoft in the mobile space in a big way. Microsoft owns a tiny percentage of the mobile market. While Android controls around 76.6 percent of the mobile market and iOS controls around 19.7 percent, Windows controls only 2.8 percent. The announcement by Microsoft is an effort to help the company grow in its mobile offerings.

There is some question, however, as to whether this is the right way forward for Microsoft. While the move will make it easier for developers to release their apps to Windows Phone, that doesn't mean that it will be totally simple. Whether developers choose to take advantage of the new tools or not is another question entirely, and if they don't, Microsoft will be in the same position as far as mobile goes.

It's important to note that, contrary to some reports, the move will not allow Windows to run Android apps, but rather it will make it far easier for developers to bring their apps to Windows Phone. Developers have long avoided Windows Phone as a platform to release apps to simply because of the fact that so few people use Windows Phone devices. There is no guarantee that this will change with Microsoft's new unveiling.

There is also no guarantee that the new tools will help move apps over to Windows Phone without removing many of the features.

Apps developed for Windows Phone often are not as sophisticated or functional as those developed for iOS and Android. It will be interesting to see whether or not this will hold true with these new tools.

Only time will tell if Microsoft is able to kickstart its mobile presence through a move like this. If it works, we could see a new dominant force in the mobile market in the very near future.

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Deal Alert: T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 530 now only $19.99

If you are looking for an extremely affordable smartphone you will have to go quite far to beat the T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 530, now on sale at Best Buy for only $19.99 commitment-free.

The deal is only available if you purchase the handset with a new T-Mobile number, but with credit as cheap as $10 this is not much of an issue.

The device makes for a perfect glove box handset, and can be seen at BestBuy here.

Read our review of the handset here.

Windows 10: All the new stuff

Microsoft revealed a number of new details about Windows 10 during its Build developer conference in San Francisco this week.

Between a closer look at Cortana's new abilities, new ways for developers to bring their apps to Windows, and finally giving the new "Project Spartan" browser a name, we learned much more about how Windows 10 will work on phones, tablets, PCs, wearables and more.

Windows 10 is coming this summer to PCs, and everything else later

In a briefing with media on Thursday, Microsoft Senior Vice President Joe Belfiore said Microsoft would indeed release Windows 10 this summer, but on PCs only to start. Since Windows Phone 8.1 came much later than Windows 8.1, the overall product cycle for phones is on a later track. Belfiore also said the arrival of Windows 10 on other device types — including the HoloLens and Surface Hub — would be "staggered."

Image: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

When asked about whether Windows 10 would have a "release to manufacturing" (RTM) release — when the "final" software is given to PC makers, prior to general release — Belfiore was careful with his words. At some point Microsoft will give a version of Windows 10 for manufacturers to use as the build for new hardware, he said, but how that would differ from the upgrade that all Windows users will be able to download to Windows 10-ready machines (pretty much all Windows 8.1 PCs) is still being determined. He did say that if there is a difference between those releases, they would be weeks apart and not months.

Microsoft Edge

Windows' new browser finally got its official name at Build 2015: Microsoft Edge. It has a much more minimalist and touch-friendly design than its predecessor, Internet Explorer. Users will be able to mark up web pages and Cortana will be baked in. Even better, it will no longer have the bifurcated experience that plagued IE in Windows 8/8.1.

The main thrust behind launching a new browser is performance, and Microsoft claims that in tests of the preview software, it beats even the category-leading Google Chrome. If you had hopes of getting Edge on OS X or Android, however, you can forget it, at least for now: The company says there are no plans to bring Edge to other platforms.

More superpowers for Cortana

Cortana has come a long way since the virtual assistant was first introduced at last year's Build and the feature will take on a much more central role in Windows 10. Cortana, which will be embedded in Windows 10's new Start menu will be able to launch apps and games.

In the Edge browser, Cortana will occasionally make herself known in subtle ways. When visiting a retailer site, for example, an animated Cortana icon will appear in the URL bar, letting the user know about coupon suggestions.

On phones, Cortana will also get new abilities as the assistant will be able to field a wider range of questions thanks to more in-app integrations. Microsoft says more than 500 apps already support Cortana but developers will soon be able to integrate it even more deeply into their apps.

If Cortana detects an event on your calendar or in your email, say movie tickets you bought online, it will remind you to call an Uber at the right time and call the car for you.

A new interactive lock screen

An optional feature called "Windows spotlight" will bring Google Now-like functionality to lock screens. If enabled, it learns from your past use to provide tips and recommendations of new features to try or even new apps to check out.

The feature will also periodically change the image on your lock screen, based on what it recommends. It may be a Cortana-like image when offering Windows tips, for example, and change to a photo of an app when providing an app recommendation. Like Google Now, it can also provide some contextual information about your day such as upcoming appointments from your Outlook calendar.

Third-party apps on Outlook

Developers will soon be able to take advantage of "add-ins" for Outlook.com, which will allow companies to create a version of their service that runs natively within the service.

"The Outlook APIs create an open platform for developers to build contextual experiences for Outlook.com and Office 365 users that simplify everyday tasks, helping them get more done without the hassle of switching between multiple applications," Microsoft explains on its Office blog.

With Uber, for example, you can schedule a ride in Outlook and get a reminder on your phone when it's time to request your ride.

Microsoft says we'll hear more about add-ins in the "near future" but the three early partners we've heard about so far are PayPal, Uber and Boomerang (makers of the popular email scheduling extension for Gmail).

Resizable windows and Aero Glass return

Resizable overlapping windows is returning with Windows 10, Microsoft confirmed. It's a simple but significant update for many users who have long complained about Windows 8's reliance on full screen apps. Company executives even made a joke about this during Thursday's keynote, saying the running joke on the engineering team was that Windows 8 should have actually been called "Window 8" because of it.

Windows 10 features the return of translucent layers, the so-called "Aero glass."

Another legacy feature slated to make its return in Windows 10 is the "Aero Glass" look that originally debuted in Windows 7. The effect, which adds a transparent background on the Start menu is already available in the latest Window 10 preview and Microsoft says it expects the final look will be "pretty close" to what's already out there.

Continuum for phones and tablets

We learned a lot more about Continuum, the way Windows 10 will adapt for multiple form factors. Switching to tablet mode calls up a more minimalist Start screen than in Windows 8, and tablet mode will get a back button to make it consistent with Windows phone.

But what will the back button do? Some Universal apps don't use a back button and in that case it'll just take you back to the last window, Microsoft says.

Continuum will allow Windows phones to run apps on external displays as if they were full PC apps.

Image: Jeff Chui/Associated Press

We got a taste of just how powerful Universal apps with how Continuum works on Windows phones. Hooking up the phone to an external display, you can run the tablet or PC version of the app directly from the phone, with the entire user interface adapting to the larger area.

It's also been sorted how Continuum will handle multiple desktops: Switching to tablet mode will simply treat the apps open on the various desktops as separate windows, preserving the desktops for when you switch back to PC mode. New apps that you launch will simply appear on the desktop you were using when you launched them.

Xbox live streaming

One of the new abilities of Windows 10 is the ability to stream games from an Xbox One on the same network. Microsoft says as long as your Wi-Fi is 802.11ac, there should be next to no latency, and checking out the feature on a Surface Pro 3, I'd say the claim is accurate.

Playing a little Sunset Overdrive via Xbox Live Streaming — and dying multiple times — I was tempted to blame my lousy gameplay on the quality of the stream, but it worked just fine and didn't stutter at all. I'm not sure how many Xbox owners will want to play Xbox games on a PC if they have a console, but the feature is solid.

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Continuum for Windows 10 Mobile will NOT need special hardware in phones (video)

At Joe Belfiore's demo of Continuum he suggested that phones will need new hardware to support the feature, but in the session now available for download program manager Gino Sega revealed that over Miracast no new hardware is needed.

Miracast wireless screen casting is already available on Snapdragon 800 powered Windows Phones like the Lumia 930 and 1520, opening up the possibility that it will be coming to existing devices with W10M upgrade.

Interestingly Continuum will not just be for turning your phone in a desktop. Using the CAST API and ProjectionManager API developers will be able to create apps with an experience on a big screen (like games) with controls and other features are on the phone, much like Airplay on iOS.

The video embedded below is a must-see for fans of the technology.

See the technology demoed at the 4 minute mark, the Continuum control app at the 9 minute mark, which allows you to use your phone as a mouse controller, the reflowing Files app at the 31 minute mark, Office at the 33 minute mark and the CAST and ProjectionManager API at the 41:30 mark.