Windows Archive

Windows Phone getting even cheaper with two new phones

While one phone is a member of a new 400 series, and the other is a 500 series device, the two handsets are far more similar than they are different. Both use 1.2GHz Snapdragon processors; dual-core in the 435, quad-core in the 532. Both have 4-inch 800×480 screens, with the 532 supporting the Glance feature found on many other Lumias. Both have 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, and both support microSD cards up to 128GB. Both are 3G devices supporting up to 42Mbps HSDPA. Both have VGA-quality front-facing cameras. The biggest practical difference is in the rear-facing cameras: 2MP fixed focus on the 435, 5MP fixed focus on the 532.

These are basically the Nokia X devices, but with Windows Phone. They look very interesting and tempting, but I'm not exactly comfortable running Windows Phone on hardware this low-end; the operating system and its core applications will work fine, but most non-core Microsoft and third party applications are slow even on higher-end hardware, so I shiver at the thought of how they run on this hardware.

‘I’ve given up on Windows Phone’

I have a confession: I'm the proud owner of an iPhone 6. In fact, it's now my full-time device. After using Windows Phone on and off since its introduction in 2010, I've grown frustrated enough to give up and switch back to iOS fully.

I'm the resident Microsoft expert here at The Verge, and for years I've switched between Android, iOS, and Windows Phone to check out new apps and how each platform is progressing, but it's now clear Windows Phone is being left behind. I'm not alone: Ed Bott, a fellow technology writer, has also given up on Windows Phone, and Microsoft has left its loyal customers frustrated by focusing on iOS and Android. Microsoft may have made some significant changes to Windows Phone this year with the 8.1 update, but like the many previous versions and updates I'm still left waiting for more. I'm through waiting.

I was a loyal Windows Phone user from day one - bought a 7.x device on launch day, and an 8.x device on launch day - but it's clear to just about everyone by now that the platform has failed. I doubt there is much of a future for Windows Phone as a separate entity. Windows-proper on PCs will continue to do well, but Windows on phones and tablets is starting to look more and more dire by the day.

With the Nokia purchase, Windows on phones/tablets may well be Microsoft's biggest financial blunder in its history.

The infamous Windows “Hello World” program

I learned Windows programming from documents included with the Windows 1.0 beta and release Software Development Kits. These included a printed API reference, of course, but beyond that the most important document was the Programming Guide, which was published with the SDK in 1985 as 258 7"x9" looseleaf pages in a binder. This document contained five sample programs that I studied in great depth in attempting to learn the Windows API.

Fascinating story.

Windows Phone Preview for Developers 14219 update released

Starting just a few minutes ago at 1 p.m. ET, Microsoft has begun to roll out another OS update for those utilizing the Preview for Developers program.

Heading into Settings and Phone Update, users can tap the Check for Updates button to begin downloading the latest version of Windows Phone 8.1.1. Part of this update should enable Cortana for those in Europe, which was announced this morning. As usual, we also expect some bug fixes and optimizations as well.

Cortana will be available in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Sidenote: this developer program is the best thing to happen to Windows Phone in a long time. Good job, Microsoft.

Huawei: “Nobody made any money in Windows Phone”

One area Huawei is unlikely to return to, unless the market changes: Windows Phone.

Huawei produced two models running Microsoft's smartphone OS before it said it was putting its plans for future Windows Phones on hold.

"We didn't make any money in Windows Phone," Kelly said. "Nobody made any money in Windows Phone."

Of course nobody is making any money with Windows Phone. Why do you think Microsoft had to rescue the failing smartphone business from Nokia?

Windows 10 bumps kernel version to 10.0

A long-standing oddity of Windows is that its branded number has for some years now not matched the version number stamped into the kernel and other parts of the operating system. Windows 7, for example, reported itself to software as being version 6.1. Windows 8 is 6.2, and Windows 8.1 is 6.3.

Current public builds of Windows 10 repeat this trend - they purport to be version 6.4 - but not for much longer. Chinese site ITHome published a picture showing the version number to be 10.0. Version number 10.0 is also cropping up on BuildFeed which tracks build numbers, and has been further corroborated elsewhere.

Interesting little tidbit of information.

Windows 10 Technical Preview first impressions

AnandTech on the Windows 10 Technical Preview:

Although we have only seen the Technical Preview and a single update to it so far, you can see the potential for Windows 10 and what it will be able to accomplish. It is an ambitious goal to provide a single platform across such a swath of different devices, and one that was held back by the user interface before. With Continuum, it appears that it may be the best of both worlds. Even more exciting is how much more upfront and open Microsoft has been on this entire process, with not just the technical preview but also soliciting and requesting user feedback on the changes. One of the biggest change requests was a simple animation on the Start Menu, and that has already been implemented, so this really is a different world than when Windows 8 was given a sneak peek.

From a technical point of view, Windows 8 was great. However, it was hampered by bad user interface and interaction design at virtually every level. If Windows 10 will undo at least some of the damage done, then it's a great leap forward.

Microsoft ends unlocking of Windows Phone 7.x December 31

Microsoft is sending out emails to Windows Phone app developers informing them that they will no longer be able to unlock any Windows Phone 7.x devices, like the Lumia 900, for app testing after December 31.

Microsoft recommends that app developers who want to unlock those phones do so before the deadline so they can continued to be used for app testing for another 24 months.

I'm guessing very few people are on Windows Phone 7.x at this point, so this kind of makes sense. The move to WP8 is nearing full completion.

Windows 10’s very different way of updating

With Windows 10, the update approach is set to change substantially. Microsoft is acknowledging the need, and even desirability, of making regular incremental improvements to its operating system. It's also, however, acknowledging the different appetite for change between consumers and enterprise users.

While all users, both enterprise and otherwise, will be using the same core operating system, for the first time, there will be different update policies for different kinds of user. The old fiction of not making feature changes to a shipping operating system is finally being put to bed.

A very sensible move in the current computing environment. I wonder if regular users, too, can opt for the slower update policy. There's a UI for the settings in the Windows 10 Technical Preview, but it's non-functional.

Why did Microsoft skip Windows 9?

So, why did Microsoft skip version 9, jumping straight to Windows 10? On Reddit, someone who claims to be a Microsoft developer, points us into an interesting direction.

Microsoft dev here, the internal rumours are that early testing revealed just how many third party products that had code of the form

if(version.StartsWith("Windows 9"))
{ /* 95 and 98 */
} else {

and that this was the pragmatic solution to avoid that.

I want this to be true. It's perfect.

Microsoft announces Windows 10

Microsoft finally surprised us all: At the eagerly-awaited first briefing for the next Windows, the firm revealed that they had decided to skip the 9 and call it Windows 10 instead. From a features perspective, we only learned about a few minor new features that hadn't already leaked. And as promised, the technical preview won't ship until October. Which starts tomorrow, by the way.

To say that this was a different kind of Windows event is a major understatement. I want to focus on the details of the announcement here, but it's at least worth pointing out that Terry Myerson's team is approaching Windows 10 with a completely different - for the better - approach. Not just when compared to the past few releases. But when compared to every Windows release from the past 20 years. Everything is new again.

It's looking like a good release so far - I'm especially very happy with the further neutering of Metro and the Expose-like functionality. Odd they're skipping 9 though.

Windows 9’s new Start menu demonstrated on video

Microsoft may have demonstrated its new Start menu earlier this year, but thanks to a recent "Windows 9" leak we're now seeing every single part of the company’s plans for bringing back this popular feature. German site WinFuture has posted a two-minute video that demonstrates how the Start menu works in the next major release of Windows. As you'd expect, it's very similar to what Microsoft demonstrated with traditional apps mixing with modern apps (and their Live Tiles) into a familiar Start menu.

It boggles my mind why Microsoft doesn't just remove Metro from the desktop altogether. Is there anyone who wants to run those comically large touch-optimised applications in windows on their desktop? Why not restrict Metro to where it belongs, i.e., mobile? Why all this extra work?

It just doesn't seem to make any sense.

Microsoft to drop Nokia and Windows Phone brands

Nokia and Windows Phone are history.

Now we can confirm that Microsoft will be completely dropping the "Nokia" branding from their devices, leaving "Lumia" as the hero brand for upcoming devices. In fact we understand that the Lumia 830 and Lumia 730 will be the final two devices to launch with "Nokia" branded on the phone. Future devices will most likely carry the "Microsoft" name along with "Lumia".

Furthermore the document also reveals that Microsoft is shying away from placing the Windows Phone logo next to their devices in promotions and advertisements, and will instead place the standard Windows logo alongside them (sans the "Phone"). In fact we understand, from a source with knowledge of the plans, that this is part of the preparation to leave the "Windows Phone" logo behind, as part of a gradual phase out of the Windows Phone name (and OS) which will merge with the desktop version of Windows in the upcoming updates (i.e. no Windows Phone 9).

This is verified by The Verge's sources inside Microsoft.

So, we now not only live in the crazy world where a version 1 Google product looks (and seems to work) way better than the comparable version 1 Apple product, but also in a world where Microsoft has a very simple naming scheme, and Apple just unveiled the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition.

I will miss my worn-out Windows Mobile PocketPC Embedded 2003 Compact Standard Edition CE Service Pack 2 Pro jokes, though.

The Surface Pro 3: using it more and less than expected

And that's when it hit me, OneNote is the Pro 3 killer feature. This is what makes it not just another tablet or a laptop, it's OneNote and if you are not in the OneNote world, the competitive advantage of this feature diminishes the use of the device. But here is where it all made sense and not just with the Surface Pro 3.

I'll be on vacation in the US late October/early November, and since electronics are a lot cheaper in the US than here, I'm going to buy a new laptop while I'm there. I've been debating the MacBook Air, Acer S7, and the Surface Pro 3, but when I line up all my needs and wants, the Pro 3 comes out so far ahead it's just a humiliation for the other two.

The MBA is out of the question because I prefer the Windows version of Office (Office is hugely important for my line of work). On top of that, its display is far too outdated and low-resolution to warrant the total laptop's price tag. The choice between the S7 and the Pro 3 is more interesting, but in the end, I know the quality feel of Surface devices first-hand. The lightness and thinness really stand out too (this photo really illustrates just how thin the Pro 3 really is).

Software-wise, I will use the Pro 3 as a laptop, and I like using Windows 8.x as a desktop operating system, so after disabling the horrid Metro crap it'll be my ideal laptop. I'll of course play around with all these machines before making the actual choice, but on paper, it's no contest for me.

The whole OneNote stuff that this article highlights hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm currently not really a OneNote user, and I don't make a whole lot of notes as it is (my memory is creepy good - I remember almost every posted and submitted story on OSNews going back 8 years), but the idea of using the pen and quickly note down a thought and have it synced everywhere appeals to me.

I think the eventual sales figures for the Surface Pro 3 will not reflect its actual quality very well - much like how Windows Phone sales do not really match its quality either. It's the reality of the market, and it's easy to laugh it off 'because Microsoft', but remember that this reality affects many promising, quality products - which are not made by the big boys.

‘How we’re addressing misleading apps in Windows Store’

Microsoft has explained that they have removed more than 1500 apps from the store.

Every app store finds its own balance between app quality and choice, which in turn opens the door to people trying to game the system with misleading titles or descriptions. Our approach has long been to create and enforce strong but transparent policies to govern our certification and store experience. Earlier this year we heard loud and clear that people were finding it more difficult to find the apps they were searching for; often having to sort through lists of apps with confusing or misleading titles.

This process is continuing as we work to be as thorough and transparent as possible in our review. Most of the developers behind apps that are found to violate our policies have good intentions and agree to make the necessary changes when notified. Others have been less receptive, causing us to remove more than 1,500 apps as part of this review so far (as always we will gladly refund the cost of an app that is downloaded as a result of an erroneous title or description).

The upside is that the store becomes a better, less cluttered and misleading place; the downside is that the walled garden is stronger. Is a top down approach really what we want, or is there a a better, community driven, approach that could be taken?

Microsoft set to unveil Windows 9 on September 30th

Microsoft is planning to unveil its Windows 8 successor next month at a special press event. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the software maker is tentatively planning its press event for September 30th to detail upcoming changes to Windows as part of a release codenamed "Threshold." This date may change, but the Threshold version of Windows is currently in development and Microsoft plans to release a preview version of what will likely be named Windows 9 to developers on September 30th or shortly afterwards. The date follows recent reports from ZDNet that suggested Microsoft is planning to release a preview version of Windows 9 in late September or early October.

Microsoft is really stepping up its release schedule. Good.

HTC One M8 for Windows unveiled… For very few people

As expected, HTC has just announced a new smartphone with Windows Phone called the HTC One M8 for Windows. The new device is the same as the HTC One M8 with Android, albeit it comes with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 preinstalled.

Sounds great, especially since it may be possible to dual boot or switch operating systems once the XDA crowd gets its hands on this thing. But then...

The HTC One M8 for Windows is an exclusive device for U.S. carrier Verizon.

Yeah. Good luck, with that.

Windows ‘Threshold’ preview around late September

Microsoft is aiming to deliver a "technology preview" of its Windows "Threshold" operating system by late September or early October, according to multiple sources of mine who asked not to be named.

And in a move that signals where Microsoft is heading on the "servicability" front, those who install the tech preview will need to agree to have subsequent monthly updates to it pushed to them automatically, sources added.

I'm excited about this 'Windows 9', because experience has taught us that Windows releases follow an up-down-up-down pattern. Windows Vista was down, 7 was up, 8 was down, so hopefully 9 will be up again. The rumoured changes are all positive, but it's not like Microsoft does not have a history of over-promising and under-delivering.

The third smartphone ecosystem is ending with a whimper

Speaking of Windows Phone - it seems like it's not happening.

Telecom executives for years have trumpeted the need for a new cellphone platform to provide a counterweight to the dominance of Google's Android and Apple's iOS. Maybe it could be BlackBerry. Or maybe Windows.

Or maybe not. According to the data from IDC, the two top players are only getting stronger, grabbing 96.4% of global smartphone shipments in the second quarter, up from 92.6% a year ago.

Windows Phone’s share of shipments fell to 2.5% of the total from 3.4% a year ago, as shipments dropped by more than 9%. BlackBerry’s share fell to 0.5% from 2.8% - below the market share of the "other" category - amid a total collapse in shipments.

This is a two-horse race, and the rest is fighting over the scraps. Those scraps are enough for newcomers such as Jolla, who don't really need the massive numbers to keep a small company alive, but it's the death knell for platforms from larger, established companies with demanding shareholders.

So far, the whole Windows Phone experiment has been a disaster for Microsoft (and Nokia). They've had to pour so much money into Windows Phone just to keep it alive that it will take them 5-10 years before they will ever make any profit on the platform - and that's assuming it actually takes off. If it continues to muddle as it does now, it will remain a huge money pit - and at some point, shareholders and the new CEO will question its existence.