A three way imaging challenge: Lumia 950 XL vs Samsung Galaxy S8+ vs LG G6

For the tests here, after recent comments on my other articles, where I'd been trying to match resolutions, even if it meant using the lower 'PureVew' resolution on the Lumia 950/XL, I've plumped for the maximum detail each phone camera can capture.

So, in the case of the Lumia 950 XL that's 20MP at 4:3 aspect ratio, for the Galaxy S8+ that's 12MP at 4:3, and for the G6 that's 13MP at 4:3 again. All approximately, of course, you can multiple up the pixel counts if you really must!

The field of view of each phone camera is slightly different too, of course, not least that G6, which has the extra wide angle lens when needed, so the FOV on the main camera is deliberately kept tight. I've tried to centre my 1:1 crops below on the same details though, for ease of comparison.

As there are three devices on test here, I'm unable to use the famed interactive comparator, so you'll have to make do with static crops on the page. See what you think.

Test 1: Sunny suburbs

My standard test, as easy as you can get, sunny and with good light, masses of house and garden detail. Here's the overall scene, as shot on the Lumia 950 XL (there weren't massive differences in colouring and white balance between the three phone cameras, except where noted below):

And now for 1:1 crops to show actual image quality, from (in turn) the Lumia 950 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, click the device names in this sentence for the full resolution JPGs, should you wish to download them to do your own analysis:

Even without the benefits of PureView oversampling, the Lumia 950 XL's superior optics and image processing win out here, I'd argue. Its photo is slightly less 'processed' than the other too, though I agree that the margin is small here - as it should be under 100% ideal lighting conditions. In turn, the S8+'s photo looks more natural than the G6's, proving it's all relative - and largely down to image processing algorithms?

Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Galaxy S8+: 9 pts; LG G6: 8 pts

Test 2: Daylight macro

Lowering the light levels by one step, here's a macro-ish shot of my dad's rather lovely antique clock, with the dust door open so that I could snap the intricate clock face details, in a well lit living room. Here's the overall scene, as shot on the Lumia 950 XL:

And now for 1:1 crops to show actual image quality, from (in turn) the Lumia 950 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, click the device names in this sentence for the full resolution JPGs, should you wish to download them to do your own analysis:

OK, time for a rant (which I'll come back to in another article) - it's as clear as day how superior the image quality is from the Lumia 950 XL camera, here clearly beating out the brand, spanking new Galaxy S8+ camera, reckoned to be one of the best in the world. Yet the likes of DxOMark have never even bothered reviewing it - quite staggering. I seem to be a 'voice in the wilderness' championing the amazing quality that the 950 XL puts out. Sigh.

In contrast, the Galaxy S8+ photo is decent enough, but ultimately not as high resolution and with an element of digital noise creeping in, plus a touch of Samsung's traditional edge enhancement. While the LG G6's image processing is all over the place, look at the 'jaggies' and noise down at the pixel level. Again.

Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Galaxy S8+: 8 pts; LG G6: 6 pts

Test 3: Tempting HDR

With a nod towards tempting each phone camera's auto-HDR algorithms into triggering, I snapped this church tower against a bright sky. Plenty of detail to focus on (I tapped, in each case near a spot 30 feet from the top of the tower) and plenty of contrasting light. Here's the overall scene, as shot on the Lumia 950 XL:

And now for 1:1 crops to show actual image quality, from (in turn) the Lumia 950 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, click the device names in this sentence for the full resolution JPGs, should you wish to download them to do your own analysis:

All very interesting - the Lumia 950 XL again has by far the most natural image, but the extra processing and edge enhancement in the Samsung multi-frame-combined photo does serve to bring out the stone detail quite dramatically yet without straying into HDR territory. Meanwhile the G6 did stray into full-on HDR mode and as a result the stonework is way too dramatic, the church tower looks downright artificial. 

A slight win for the Galaxy S8+ overall.

Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Galaxy S8+: 10 pts; LG G6: 7 pts

Test 4: Forcing HDR

OK, so the previous test scene allowed for HDR to come on if the phone software thought the lighting warranted it, with varied results. Here I was faced with a dull-ish overcast scene and thought I'd force HDR on within each phone's Camera UI to try and make the photo more dramatic. Here's the overall scene, as shot on the Lumia 950 XL:

And now for 1:1 crops to show actual image quality, from (in turn) the Lumia 950 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, click the device names in this sentence for the full resolution JPGs, should you wish to download them to do your own analysis:

A tough call here - looking at the 1:1 crops, it's clear that the Lumia 950 XL photo is slightly more 'considered' than the S8's, which is in turn higher grade than the G6's processed effort. Yet looking at the overall photos, the G6's is the one that looks 'best' at normal screen resolutions, the one that got closest to what I wanted, followed by the S8+ and then the Lumia. Reversing what I see at pixel level. 

Overall then, a three way tie on this shot, I think.

Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Galaxy S8+: 9 pts; LG G6: 9 pts

Test 5: Natural detail

One of the toughest tests of any digital camera, especially on a phone, is capturing and encoding natural detail - grass, leaves, and so on. So I headed down to a local beauty spot. Here's the overall scene, as shot on the Lumia 950 XL:

And now for 1:1 crops to show actual image quality, from (in turn) the Lumia 950 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, click the device names in this sentence for the full resolution JPGs, should you wish to download them to do your own analysis:

In fairness, none of the three phone cameras nailed this shot in terms of natural detail - I've been used to much more natural processing in the past on devices like the Nokia N8 and 808, and even the Lumia 1020. But the 950 XL gets the closest to reality, with greens remaining green and close to real life colours and with only minimal 'fuzzing' of areas of green detail. The S8+ and G6 images are, progressively, more processed and with worse handling of greenery - the vegetation on the right of the central waterfall looks almost yellow. 

An Achilles heel for phone cameras, it seems.

Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Galaxy S8+: 7 pts; LG G6: 6 pts

Test 6: Low light

Just for a change, I went for this detailed model train, lit only by two small candles. Here's the overall scene, as shot on the Lumia 950 XL:

And now for 1:1 crops to show actual image quality, from (in turn) the Lumia 950 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, click the device names in this sentence for the full resolution JPGs, should you wish to download them to do your own analysis:

The Lumia 950 XL's professional optics and higher resolution sensor just wins out here, with more detail captured, less noise and fewer artefacts, though the Galaxy S8+ didn't do badly either. The LG G6 lags behind with poor handling of noise and artefacts galore down at the pixel level.

Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Galaxy S8+: 8 pts; LG G6: 6 pts

Test 7: Night time

Dead of night, just street lamps. An ultimate test of OIS, sensor and image processing. Here's the overall scene, as shot on the Lumia 950 XL:

And now for 1:1 crops to show actual image quality, from (in turn) the Lumia 950 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, click the device names in this sentence for the full resolution JPGs, should you wish to download them to do your own analysis:

The themes of the previous shots come through again - the Lumia manages most detail and most competently, while the Galaxy S8+ isn't far behind, with a few sharpening artefacts, detail that's almost made up (e.g. some of the bricks) and lower overall resolution. And then the G6 brings up the rear - again - with fairly horrible red colouration and over-sharpening artefacts.

Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Galaxy S8+: 8 pts; LG G6: 5 pts

Verdict

It's true that looking at the pixel level here is cruel to phones like the G6, whose camera might well satisfy the man in the street. But the moment you start wanting to display photos on a large screen, the moment you want to crop part of the photo to see a subject more clearly, then image quality does matter, the pixels do matter.

In terms of points totals:

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 65/70pts

Samsung Galaxy S8+: 59/70pts

LG G6: 47/70 pts

Such a criminal shame that Microsoft stopped making their Lumia 950 and 950 XL - the camera in this smartphone is still the best in the world, whatever DxOMark says (or doesn't say). The Galaxy S8+ camera is on the right track, but the ZEISS optics and mature OIS and algorithms in the 950 range still can't be beaten.

It's true that the Galaxy S8+ camera is much faster than the Lumia 950's, of course. Faster to focus, faster to process, by an order of magnitude. And, for fast moving subjects or for someone in a hurry this way well turn the tables in terms of priorities.

PS. Oh, and for the nay-sayers, that extra resolution on the G6 in this feature made absolutely no difference to the results - the G6 simply isn't top notch as it should have been, whatever sensor cropping is used. Sorry.

Source: A three way imaging challenge: Lumia 950 XL vs Samsung Galaxy S8+ vs LG G6

Barclays Windows phone app updated to support Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update, some users reporting issues

Barclays Windows phone app updated to support Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update, some users reporting issues | On MSFT

Barclays Windows phone app updated to support Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update, some users reporting issues

UK bank Barclays has released an update to their Windows phone app that adds support for Windows 10 Mobile's Creators Update.

Known as version 12.0.18, the changelog for the update simply states:

The issues with the latest Microsoft Windows Mobile Creators Update have now been resolved.

Unfortunately, however, it would appear that not all of the issues have been resolved. Users over on Reddit are now reporting that the app suddenly crashes when entering the PIN:

Barclays has not yet commented on the reported issues, but it is likely they'll be another update in the future to resolve them.

Developer: Barclays Bank PLC

Further reading: Barclays, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone

Barclays Windows phone app updated to support Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update, some users reporting issues

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Microsoft Edge extension for Qmee is "something we hope to look in to soon"

New evidence suggests most WannaCry victims were running Windows 7, Windows XP is 'insignificant'

Amazon Video Xbox One app can now stream 4K content

Source: Barclays Windows phone app updated to support Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update, some users reporting issues

Wyoming Seminary’s boys team tennis run ends in state semifinals

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Drew Kopan won at No. 3 singles Saturday and Lancaster Country Day swept doubles play to eliminate Wyoming Seminary, 3-0 in a semifinal match of the PIAA Class 2A Boys Team Tournament at Hershey Racquet Club on Saturday.

Sewickley Academy later defeated Lancaster Country Day, 5-0 for the state title.

Wyoming Seminary reached the state semifinals by downing Quaker Valley, 3-0 in a quarterfinal match held Friday when Eamon Gibbons won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 and the Blue Knights swept doubles play.

Michael Kim and William Ziegler won 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 doubles in the quarterfinal, while Andrew Kim and Duncan Lumia won by the same score at third doubles, swept singles play.

State playoff matches are stopped as soon as one team attains the required three team points for victory.

Sem began its PIAA playoff run by beating Lancaster Mennonite, 4-1 in Tuesday's opening round.

PIAA Class 2A

Quarterfinals

Lancaster Country Day 3, Wyoming Sem 0

SINGLES — No 3. Drew Kopan (LCD) d. Jiarui Tang, 6-0, 6-0.

DOUBLES — No. 1. Carter Auman/Herbert Bryner (LCD) d. Michael Kim/William Ziegler 6-3, 6-2; No 2. David del Terzo/Thomas Westbrook (LCD) d. Andrew Kim/Duncan Lumia 6-2, 6-3.

Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @tlsports.

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Source: Wyoming Seminary's boys team tennis run ends in state semifinals

In a world where Microsoft services work everywhere, why use Windows 10 Mobile?

Given the conclusions on the podcast, the short answer is that you can indeed do an awful lot on competing smartphones. But as Jason mentioned on the show, there are some unique selling points (USPs) that keep enthusiasts on Windows 10 Mobile - and even Windows Phone before it, for the real die hards(!)

Now, back in February I looked at 10 USPs of the Lumia 950 XL specifically, most of which were to do with the hardware. I'll list them here for brevity, but do see the original linked piece for the full explanation:

Dropped phone or damage? Just replace the back

No need to stay with plastic - go with leather or wood!

Battery 18 months old and down on capacity? Just buy a new one.

High Amplitude stereo microphones

Oversampling camera

Camera shutter button

Triple LED flash

Headphone jack

Optional virtual controls

Secure Windows!

Taken together, I argued that they provided quite a compelling case for choosing (or staying with) the Windows 10 Mobile-powered Lumia 950 XL.

Now, the last two are software related and are worth expanding on - and adding to - here. In fact, with the 'Why Windows?' question highlighted, I'm going to start a new device-independent list and include those two to get started.

1. Virtual controls (typically 'back', 'home' and 'multitasking'/'search') were something that came in a couple of years ago in the phone world, yet Microsoft is virtually alone in providing a way to swipe the controls away when you want to work in an application with the maximum amount of screen real estate. The system works really well and it's genuinely frustrating on some Android phones when you try various swipes to dismiss these controls and find that they're fixed in place most of the time and that you have to live with them.

2. Security. The last in the original list is subtle but very important. In the last year alone we've seen numerous Android-targetting malware strains (often delivered by applications or games from the Play Store - at least temporarily, until Google pulled them), plus various Android vulnerabilities revealed - which Google has patched, but few of these fixes will make their way into end user hands in the mainstream. Then there's malware and ransomware targetting x86 versions of Windows which, in the case of old and unsupported versions (e.g. XP) can cause havoc, as we say last week with the Wanna Cry outbreak and the closure of hospitals and infrastructure around the world.

Which is not to try and scare anyone unduly, but it's certainly food for thought. Windows 10 Mobile (and Windows Phone before it) presents a far smaller attack surface for malicious entities online, by virtue of a much smaller installed base than iOS or Android. 

3. Live tiles, again as referred to in the podcast. Every single time I do a comparison photo of a Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile device besides an Android phone or iPhone, it's apparent, almost embarrassingly so, that the live tiles approach used by Microsoft provides the most information-rich homescreens of any mobile OS, and by a country mile. 

 Click/tap this image for the full vertical panorama/Start screen example!

Now admittedly live tiles don't always behave - they're updated in the background on various schedules and, well, this is Windows so the idea of everything working all the time is a little unrealistic(!) But most live tile set-ups work most of the time and that's good enough. From a preview of upcoming Calendar appointments to highlighted tweets to favourite photos to currently playing podcasts, they're all to be found on a Windows-powered phone's Start screen. And that's a genuine USP.

4. Familiarity. Having the same applications as are running on your laptop or tablet or whatever is surprisingly pleasing. Now, on the desktop PC you may not run that many UWP applications (a lot is usually done via either a web browser or x86 apps), but as you move down in screen size and especially as you move to 'touch' (e.g. on the 'Surface' range of hybrids), then the UWP applications make a lot of sense. And you already know the UI, the interface, where everything is because it's the exact same app as is running on your Windows 10 Mobile phone. 

5. Beauty. Now this is 'in the eye of the beholder' and obviously somewhat subjective, but I find the interface of most (though not all) UWP applications for Windows 10 particularly striking on the phone and especially with a dark theme enabled on an AMOLED-screened phone. So on the Lumia 930, 950, 950 XL and Elite x3, for example. The fonts used, the slender artwork for control icons, all set against a suitably dark and inky background. 

Or maybe that's just me? Admittedly, the fonts aren't 100% consistent across all applications and some apps go totally their own way, but I'm happy enough most of the time.

Also in this section I'd point out the elegant way that almost all UWP applications for Windows 10 Mobile gracefully transform their UIs when the phone is rotated from portrait to landscape. The effect and usefulness (or not) is often surprising - extra views and options in some cases.

6. Continuum. I have to mention this as a USP, of course (you can safely ignore Samsung's DeX kludge here). Having said that UWP applications for Windows 10 adapt to orientation, they also adapt on the whole to being plugged into a much larger secondary display, as we've seen with hundreds of very good Continuum-aware titles in the last year. 

(It's true that Continuum can be a bit of a faff in terms of cabling and adapters - the Elite x3 Lap Dock was the closest to a really useful solution, but that was flawed on first release - and we're still waiting for a fixed-up version... My suspicion is that Continuum will come into its own with Windows 10 on ARM on ultra-portable PCs in 2018.)

For companies, there are extra reasons, of course. Ease of configuration and management by an IT department, great VPN options, and so on.

_______

Add all of this up and you might wonder why the world and its dog hasn't beaten a path to Windows 10 Mobile's door. Most of the blame lies with Microsoft, as I've already analysed at length. In fact, add in that Microsoft could have, and should have, done a lot more to 'woo' companies which hadn't shown willingness to develop for Windows 10.

The end result of lack of investment and attention has been the current retrenchment from the market and all the USPs just mentioned are outweighed in many people's eyes by lack of a number of mainstream consumer favourite applications and by a lack of shiny new hardware to run all this on.

Still, next time someone asks "Why bother with Windows 10 Mobile?" then at least you've got a page (here) to link them back to! 

Source: In a world where Microsoft services work everywhere, why use Windows 10 Mobile?

Boys tennis: Wyoming Seminary 1 win from PIAA team finals

Amid a potentially historic state playoff run, Wyoming Seminary swept Quaker Valley, 3-0, in Friday's PIAA Class 2A boys team tennis quarterfinals.

Now one win shy of playing for a state championship, Sem's No. 1 singles player Eamon Gibbons was excellent, as were the Blue Knights' doubles teams.

"They looked really good," head coach Allison Joanlanne said of her players. "Doubles was playing great, singles was tough ... but it was competitive."

Jubilation quickly turned to frustration, however, when Joanlanne learned the Blue Knights must forfeit No. 2 singles the rest of the way.

According to Joanlanne, Andrew Schukraft had a flight booked Friday night to North Carolina, where his sister is graduating from college.

"The PIAA is not letting me substitute Andrew Schukraft because they don't think his reasoning — why he's not there — is good enough," Joanlanne said.

It was explained to Joanlanne, she said, that the PIAA will allow substitutions only under "extraordinary circumstances," such as a death in the family or motor vehicle accident.

"I'm all about letting the kids play. That's what high school tennis is about," Joanlanne said. "For them to not let my kids play, it's just beyond my reasoning for this. I don't understand it."

Nonetheless, Wyoming Seminary is playing like a team that could dig itself out of a 1-0 deficit 8:30 a.m. today against District 3 champion Lancaster Country Day at Hershey Racquet Club.

If Sem wins, it will play District 3 runner-up Wyomissing or District 7 champion Sewickley Academy for the state championship at 3:30 today, also in Hershey.

Sewickley Academy defeated Wyomissing in last year's state championship.

In No. 1 singles Friday, Gibbons — who lost his first-round PIAA match while nursing a sore ankle — got back on track with a 6-1, 6-0 win against Walter Hubsch.

Sem then clinched its 3-0 victory with wins in Nos. 1 (Michael Kim/Will Ziegler) and 2 (Andrew Kim/Duncan Lumia) doubles.

"They're just going for it," Joanlanne said of her doubles teams. "They're going for it, they're being aggressive, they are communicating and they're playing consistent."

The Kim brothers will join Schukraft in missing today's action, however.

Joanlanne said the brothers must attend a family funeral, but that the PIAA is allowing Sem to replace them with teammates Samir Singh and Tommy Dang.

Today's semifinal opponent, Lancaster Country Day, swept District 7 runner-up Indiana 3-0 on Friday.

Sem last appeared in a state final in 2012, while it last won a state title in 2001.

Wyoming Seminary 3, Quaker Valley 0

SINGLES: 1. Eamon Gibbons (Sem) won 6-1, 6-0. 2. Andrew Schukraft (Sem) match halted at 6-3, 3-6. 3. Jerry Tang (Sem) match halted at 6-4, 1-5. DOUBLES: 1. Michael Kim/Will Ziegler (Sem) won 6-2, 6-3. 2. Andrew Kim/Duncan Lumia (Sem) won 6-2, 6-3.

Contact the writer: mbufano@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2060, @CVBufano on Twitter

Source: Boys tennis: Wyoming Seminary 1 win from PIAA team finals

Surface Phone aka Cellular PC Could Actually Help Windows 10 Mobile Survive

We've been talking for some time about how there won't ever be a device called Surface Phone coming out of Microsoft's stables, but that the Cellular PC concept was essentially aimed at delivering the same experience that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has had in mind all along for an "ultimate mobile device." We've also discussed how Windows 10 Mobile has been getting the short end of the stick, how Windows Phone is being choked off and how the Surface Phone aka Cellular PC could eventually kill off the entire Windows 10 Mobile ecosystem over a period of time.

But when you look at it from purely an apps perspective, a new angle emerges. Essentially, the whole Windows 10 Mobile ecosystem subsists on two things: devices and apps. of course, it also depends on update support for the OS itself, but devices and apps are at the core of any kind of consumer growth for Windows 10 Mobile, and even Windows Phone, for that matter.

On the devices side, we know that there aren't any new models of smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile. But there are more Windows 10 Mobile devices today than there were a little more than a year ago. That's because in early 2016, Microsoft offered users of Windows Phone 8.1 Denim on certain Lumia devices the chance to upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile, and these were the devices eligible for the move:

Lumia 1520, Lumia 930, Lumia 830, Lumia 735, Lumia 730, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 640, Lumia 638 (1 GB RAM), Lumia 636 (1 GB RAM), Lumia 635 (1 GB RAM), Lumia 540, Lumia 535, Lumia 532, Lumia 435, and Lumia 430.

However, Microsoft later confirmed that these users could also downgrade back to Windows Phone 8.1 if they weren't happy with their Windows 10 Mobile Upgrade, since the Windows Phone Recovery tool would retain the original WP 8.1 images.

But even today, a lot of people today still don't know that such an option exists, and all that's required is for them to download the free Windows 10 Upgrade Advisor app from Windows Store.

Using very conservative estimates, as outlined by Steve Litchfield on AllAboutWindowsPhone (AAWP) earlier this year, there are roughly 7 million Windows 10 Mobile devices in active use around the world today.

We don't have any sales figures for 2017, but since you can still buy a Windows smartphone right now, including premium ones like the HP Elite X3 and mid-range devices like the Alcatel IDOL 4S, whatever user base exists is still increasing rather than decreasing.

The point is, although the devices side is still ticking on, it is undeniably weak. It's not like there are smartphone OEMs clawing at Microsoft's door to let them have Windows 10 Mobile for their new devices. Most are still big on Android, naturally, while some have a foot in the door with Microsoft without being fully committed.

But the apps ecosystem is a different matter. That's something that can actually help Windows 10 Mobile rise again, albeit in a measured way.

That brings us back to the Surface Phone aka Cellular PC. The Cellular PC is due out sometime in the third or fourth quarter of this year, and there are a couple of things Microsoft can and possibly might do to ensure its success in the market.

First of all, they need to push the Cellular PC primarily as a business device, not a consumer one. Consumers will naturally follow, but the fact that Microsoft intends to bring the full Windows 10 experience along with the old Win32 desktop apps to the device makes it the perfect device for enterprise and business users.

Second – and this is something they've been trying to do but unable to – they need to increase the rate at which UWP apps are deployed to Windows Store, especially those apps that are the top-performing ones on App Store and Play Store. That could soon change, now that Windows 10 has hit the 500 million user mark, as announced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the Build 2017 conference earlier this month.

With 500 million users to reach, developers will hopefully be more open to developing UWP apps that can run across multiple platforms. And with that comes hope, once again, for Windows 10 Mobile device owners.

The other big driver for UWP will be the Surface Phone aka Cellular PC running Windows 10. The more devices there are, the more developers will be encouraged to build apps for them.

Moreover, since the Cellular PC will (or should, ideally) be promoted heavily within the enterprise segment, those users are more likely to generate revenues for developers via app purchases and in-app revenues. That's an enticing proposition for most app developers.

So, even though Microsoft is pushing out Windows 10 Mobile preview builds at a much slower rate than for the PC version, clearly showing their lack of focus on the mobile version of Windows 10, things are afoot that could revive interest the Windows 10 Mobile community. 7 million users is no laughing matter, even though that's dwarfed by the Windows 10 user base of 500 million and the even more massive Android install base of 2 billion devices, as recently announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai at their I/O 2017 conference that's on its final day today.

In the end, Windows 10 Mobile may have to die in order for Microsoft's mobile ambitions to fructify, but not necessarily. If the apps come, some OEMs may be convinced to continue making Windows 10 Mobile devices and releasing new products every year.

That's probably the only way for Windows 10 Mobile to survive beyond a few years. Microsoft hardly wants it for itself, but it may be willing to keep it alive if there's enough interest for Windows 10 Mobile from users and well as smartphone makers.

All of this hinges on UWP apps picking up the pace which, in turn, depends on how effectively Microsoft can woo developers to its fold.

It is, no doubt, a complex web of interdependencies, but at least Windows 10 Mobile has a fighting chance of making it well into the next decade and beyond, if things go the way we've described.

Much of this scenario has yet to be played out, but greater Windows 10 adoption, a series of Surface Phone aka Cellular PC releases over the next few years and app developers jumping on the UWP bandwagon appear to be the key elements in this story.

As things stand, Windows 10 Mobile device users will just need to be patient, and wait to see when or if things start falling into place once the Surface Phone aka Cellular PC is released later this year.

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Source: Surface Phone aka Cellular PC Could Actually Help Windows 10 Mobile Survive

8 different UMIDIGI Crystal prototypes unveiled

Seems like the upcoming UMIDIGI Crystal model is not fully set in stone as of yet concerning the actual looks and equipment of the phones. After a week of polling and gathering information from customers the chinese manufacturer announced today that they have come up with 8 different prototypes to show tomorrow !

From the information we have available it's clear, that the differences are actually not just minor, because the prototypes are for example vary in screen size. Prototypes are coming with screens ranging from the ordinary 5,5-inch ones through bigger 6-inch displays to the oversized 6,4-inch ones. So are they really not fully decided on the size of the UMIDIGI Crystal or just thinking about different variants to release ?

We should see tomorrow, when they are planning to unveil all the most voted pieces with the most favourite colors and Lumia / Full metal edition versions. Quite intrigued by such an event, could it be that a company is actually trying to listen to customer wishes and dreams ? You can still subscribe and participate in their activity event.

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I'm an avid gamer and a bit of a Ninja when it comes to gadgets and technology. When I'm not busy with the latest Android and iOS games and I can be found writing at Gizchina.com.

Source: 8 different UMIDIGI Crystal prototypes unveiled