Why I won't switch to Windows Phone:

Back in June, I wrote about my time with the Lumia 630, and lamented the lack of apps available in the Windows Store.

Since then, I've been using the Lumia 1320. It was a dual-purpose test: first to force myself to use a phablet - this thing is huge - and second to really use Windows Phone apps seriously. I'm going to leave the phablet experience for another time and talk here about Windows Phone again.

Much to the surprise of everyone at Tech Advisor and surely plenty of Windows Phone owners, a number of new apps have appeared over the last few months, notably Fitbit.

One of the biggest issues I had with missing apps was that I couldn't use my Fitbit One - nor any other activity tracker - with Windows Phone. Researching the problem I found that even in Windows Phone 8 the Bluetooth stack, as it's known, still wasn't up to scratch. That's fixed in Windows Phone 8.1 (about time, Microsoft), and it has meant that synching with Bluetooth LE devices such as the Fitbit is now possible.

That's no consolation for Nike FuelBand or Jawbone UP owners, though. With a bit of luck, there will be official apps soon as, amazingly, Nike finally released a FuelBand app for Android about a month ago (about time, Nike).

I was also pretty happy to discover that apps for the two banks I bank with are available on the Windows Store. In fact, we've been keeping a list of missing apps for Windows Phone and have been able to cross out about half of them over the last few months. Happy days.

Well. Not quite. The problem, dear reader, is that it isn't enough to be able to tick these apps off our list. Right from the start, Microsoft was keen to boast about numbers. At the launch of Windows Phone 8 in 2012, Joe Belfiore boasted that Windows Phone owners now had access to 46 out of the top 50 apps (he conveniently forgot to mention that it didn't apply to those who bought handsets running Windows Phone 7 because, oh, they wouldn't get the upgrade to Windows Phone 8.)

However, with apps, it's quality over quantity and that's where Windows Phone really falls down for me. I fired up the Y-cam HomeMonitor app expecting exactly the same set of features as on my iPhone. But no. Although I can view the live feed from the camera and watch recorded clips from the cloud service, that's it. There are no options to turn the camera on or off, to enable or disable motion detection, nor mute alerts.

It's a similar story in other apps. Even in the much anticipated Fitbit app, there's no way to re-order or remove the various stats on the home screen - it's a small detail, but it's a theme that seems to run through every app I've used.

It's hard to tell whether I should be blaming Microsoft or the app developers, since some of the features may not be possible due to limitations with Windows Phone 8.1, or it could be that the developers simply aren't putting in as much effort as with iOS.

The bottom line is that, for the user, the experience is inferior to an iPhone in many ways. Don't get me wrong: there are benefits to having Windows Phone 8, such as the ability to pin the London Bridge departures information to the home screen (complete with live tile) rather than merely the app itself. But, after more than two months of using Windows Phone 8.1, I'm itching to go back to iOS.

Microsoft launches 'most affordable' Lumia 530 in India

Microsoft on Wednesday launched the Lumia 530 Dual SIM smartphone, the 'most affordable' Lumia to date, in India. The phone is priced Rs 7,349 and will be available in stores from August 14, 2014.

Lumia 530 comes with the latest version of Windows 8.1, with updates such as the one swipe notification from the Action Center and the World Flow keyboard. It comes with changeable cover shells in bright orange, bright green, dark grey and white. 

The phone has a 4-inch display with a screen resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. It has a 1.2Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. 

With a RAM of 512 MB, Lumia 430 has an on-board memory of 4 GB and expandable memory of up to 128 GB. Microsoft also offers an additional 15 GB of free cloud storage on its OneDrive, allowing users to sync, store, access and share files between Lumia 530 and computers, laptops and tablets.

The phone has 5 MP rear camera, but no front-facing camera or flash.

The Lumia 530's dimensions are 119.7 x 62.3 x 11.7mm, and it weighs 128 grams. It has connectivity options of GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth (4.0), GPS and Micro-USB. 

Microsoft is looking to target the youth with the Lumia 530 in the affordable smartphone segment.

“We, at Microsoft Devices, are committed towards helping people experience the uncompromised technologies and services that we offer on our Lumia devices. Lumia 530 builds on the legacy and success of Lumia 520 and will help us consolidate our position in this segment further,” said Viral Oza, Director-Marketing, Nokia India, a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobiles Oy.
 
“With its innovative design, the latest Windows Phone 8.1 and signature Lumia experiences, the Lumia 530 3G Dual SIM is the perfect device for those who are looking for a distinctive smartphone,” he added.

In India, the phone comes with special offers. Phones bought through the Windows Phone Snapdeal app will get Rs 3,000 off. Buyers can also win six free movie tickets from BookMyShow when they book seats to any show through the app.

Nokia Lumia 530 up for preorder in India

Nokia announced the Lumia 530 smartphone recently but the company did not announce the price. It just gave a hint that the price of the device will be under Rs 8000 category but Indian online retailer Snapdeal has already put this device for preorder on their site. Snapdeal while skipping mention of the price, has said that the device will start selling in the 3rd week of August.

The Nokia Lumia 530 is the successor model of the popular Lumia 520 and Lumia 525 smartphones. In terms of specs it is not a true successor of the Lumia 525 smartphone, the specs are lower end and Nokia has cut down heavily on internal storage department.

Lumia 530 would come with the latest Windows Phone 8.1 OS and will have 4GB ROM on board. Like Lumia 520 this one too will have 512MB of RAM, the rear camera will have the same 5-MP resolution but the focus will be fixed. There is no front facing camera on this device and it will have a 1,430mAH battery for power supply. Connectivity options are to include Dual SIM slots, 3G, Wifi and Bluetooth.

What do you think has Nokia done with the Lumia 530? Has it failed to bring a true successor or is it just a smart move to provide cheap smartphone? Let us know your reactions.

Download and convert Youtube videos to mp3 ring tones with Mp3Tube

Mp3Tube is a tool for downloading Youtube videos and converting them to mp3 songs.
Mp3Tube provides a neat interface with the below features

• Search videos and browse hot music videos on Youtube.com
• Download and convert videos to mp3
• Make and manage playlists
• Pin your favorite playlists to the start screen
• Listen to the downloaded songs
• Edit mp3 songs to make ringtones

Users can get Mp3Tube for free (ads-supported version) here or pay only $0.99 for a full version without ads here.

Now in Marketplace: Box for Windows Phone

Sharing large or sensitive documents with co-workers and clients just became a lot easier: today Box released an official Windows Phone app for its popular file collaboration and storage service. Download it now

The free app makes it easy to view, share, edit, and comment on files. Since it’s designed for the office, Box also employs an app-specific passcode as an extra layer of security.

Finally, the new app offers some Windows Phone-exclusive features, such as slideshows and Live Tiles notifications for updated files. “We designed our app to really take advantage of this platform’s unique characteristics and capabilities,” the Box crew notes on its official blog. Check out their post for more details.

What Windows Phone apps do you use at work?

Now in Marketplace: Crackle for Windows Phone

“Dude, have you downloaded Crackle yet?”

I’d barely opened my laptop this morning and my Windows Phone-owning buddy (and big Stephen King fan) was already pelting me with instant messages. “All you have to do is set up an account and you’re watching flicks. I watched Christine on the bus to work this morning.” He urged me to blog about how cool it is.

He was right: The official Crackle app, which landed in Marketplace earlier this week, provides free access to hundreds of full-length films and TV shows, streamed to your Windows Phone for free. What’s nice is that you can play them as much as you want, and nearly two dozen new titles are added to the catalog each month from sources including Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star, Screen Gems, and Sony Pictures Classics. Download the app—or check out the Crackle site—for the complete list of titles.  The app is available in Australia, Canada, UK, and US.

Anybody else give it a whirl yet?

Announcing the Windows Phone Monthly Photo Contest

For as long as Windows Phones have been sold, people have been using them to make beautiful images. We’ve been floored by some of the photographs our users have been able to create (especially the photographs our users have shared with the hashtag #WPphoto), so we thought we’d start recognizing your photos by launching a monthly, themed photo contest.

All winning photos will be featured on the Windows Phone Blog, as well as across our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest channels. We will of course provide credit and even link to your website or blog if possible.

To kick off this shindig, this month we’re asking you to submit your favorite pet photos. Here’s an example of one:

This photograph was taken by my colleague Lisa, who sends out the awesome Windows Phone newsletterevery month. It was taken on an HTC Titan II and edited using the Thumba Photo App and HTC’s Photo Enhancer. Here’s what Lisa has to say about it:

Domino curls up for a nap by the living room window. I think this photo captures how gorgeous her eyes look in the morning light.

When you send in your photos to windowsphone@microsoft.com, please let us know which phone you took it with, which photo apps you used, and 2-3 sentences describing the photo and the circumstances under which it was taken. We’re looking forward to seeing what you all come up with! Here is how to enter:

• To enter, please e-mail your entry to windowsphone@microsoft.com.
• In the subject line of your e-mail, please write “CONTEST: PETS”.
• The photo you send must have been taken with and edited on a Windows Phone. Please attach the original JPEG file to your e-mail, with metadata included. If the photo has been edited, please let us know which apps/settings you used.
• Please name your file using your first and last name, followed by the theme of the contest (this month it’s “Pets”). So, for instance, my e-mail would include a photograph named DavidChenPets.JPG.
• Please use the highest resolution possible when sending your photos.
• One entry per person, please.
• This contest runs from now until 11:59 p.m. PDT on August 31, 2012.
• After the contest deadline, we will look over all of your entries and choose our favorites. Entries will be judged on their creativity, resourcefulness, aesthetic beauty, and just the overall impression your photo makes on us.
• Winning entries will be posted on the blog, as well as shared on our Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest pages about two weeks after the contest has ended.
• Read the full rules here.