Category: Software (Windows Phone)
Way back when this site first started, we had a monstrous downloads section where you could grab MP3 files to plonk onto your phone. In the early 2000’s (yes, we’ve been around a while), it was fairly unusual to have a phone which could get free ringtones. Most …
This will probably only be affecting three or four people, but it’s yet another step in the road for the removal of Windows on a phone and Microsoft support for the Windows Phone operating system or MS-provided apps. Thurrott is reporting on this Skype support page which details …
In 2011, Nokia took the now-fateful decision to abandon the “burning platform” of Symbian and moved over to Windows Phone. This decision was close one; in those days the smartphone market was very different with multiple OS’s having a reasonable foothold (as opposed to the duopoly of today …
After being rumoured for a while, and then available through a beta build, WhatsApp continues on its quest for global domination of its messaging platform with video calling. Whilst it is arguably the biggest cross-platform messaging service, with a 1 billion users, WhatsApp has fallen behind competitors such …
Skype, which is a piece of software people used to use to communicate with each other before they found WhatsApp, is being ditched for Windows Phone. The product support page states that, if you’re still intent on using a video call, the native Skype client for Windows Phone …
Quite a few people I know used to use Skype. It’s a great app and you can do all that video calling business, but WhatsApp appears to have taken over the world. We’re organising the charity bike ride (please do donate, we could do with an extra push) …
Last year my son ended up in hospital with meningococcal septicaemia. It was a scary time, and I’ll admit that I completely lost my rag with the local GP surgery. Our town had seen the closure of a local surgery, and we’d been shipped across to another surgery …
Windows Phone and Windows phone users will, if we’re brutally honest, have got used to developers skipping their platform. Those cool but perhaps not “massively used” applications are nearly always available for Android and iPhone, but when it comes to the Microsoft mobile platform, you simply have to …
It’s a story we’ve seen repeated many times here at Coolsmartphone. First, a company offers something that’s unlimited. Then a small selection of customers heavily abuse that “unlimited” thing and the company starts to switch things around so that “unlimited” isn’t really “unlimited”. Here, Windows SkyDrive (sorry, OneDrive) …
You’ve probably seen sped up videos online, where the original video is played back at 10X the speed. So the video of a man skiing down a mountain look really smooth and arty. But when you’ve tried to do it yourself they just look rubbish. Well amazingly Microsoft …
Here we go again. Another battle between Sky and Microsoft and, after a lengthy case, the court has agreed with Sky. What’s the problem? Well, somehow, it would seem that Skype .. … could be mistaken for Sky.. This isn’t the first time that Sky have thrown their …
It’s been a problem for some time now, and to some extent it still continues. I’ve been banging on about the fact that the “family computer” is now a distant memory. You can’t really keep an eye on your kids when they’ve got small connected gadgets which …
The big selling point of Windows Phone, at least in the TV ads, has been the fact that Cortana is supposedly better than Siri. Get yourself a Windows Phone and you’ll have a proper digital assistant, they say. So, the very last thing you’re going to want to …
Creating your own app is hard enough. Learning to code, getting it right, making something popular and then hoping it’ll be downloaded lots is a long and bumpy road to travel. However, if you’ve got a thoroughly enjoyable and addictive game, or a useful and interesting app, it …
I’ve been a Windows Phone fan/user for years now and I’ve often ended up in discussions with Android and iOS users listening to why I should use their favourite OS and not Windows Phone. During that lecture I often hear “big developers like Dropbox haven’t even got an …
At this time of year we’re probably all thinking of a nice home-cooked meal. Brussel sprouts, turkey, roast potatoes and all the trimmings. Problem is though, this is all a lot of work. So give yourself, your mother or whoever a break and get yourself a takeaway instead. …
At the train station today I noticed a stack of people just staring at their phones. I was one of them, and if I’m honest I’ve become a phone zombie too. However, despite how mainstream mobile phones have become in society, many people don’t use them to their …
Well OK then, I’ll give these guys some airtime as they’ve been bugging me to heck about their app. Kabbee is a licensed minicab price comparison and booking website for Londoners. There’s an app for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone too. You just whack in your pick-up …
Those on Windows Phone continue to suffer from app withdrawal. More often than not common apps are now available on the OS, but more often than not these are not the fully developed versions available on Android or iOS. Case in point: in May Spotify released an official app …
Blugri Software are one of my favourite developers for Windows Phone, they make simple yet fun games for Windows Phone. They have quite a decent catalogue of puzzle games that can certainly keep you busy for many hours. The latest, Circuits is a pipe connecting kind of thing, …
Blugri Software have been making some of the better games for Windows Phone for quite a while now. The latest has just been published on the Windows Phone Store. It’s called Buzz Bee, your role is to be the bee. You basically fly the bee around dodging obstacles. …
Well. In what can only be described as a “sudden” decision, Skype for Windows Phone 7 is about to be turned off. Microsoft, who own Skype and have probably already annoyed the healthy percentage of Windows Phone customers still using version 7 enough already (complete lack of upgrade …
Windows Phone gets criticised a lot. Manufacturers get criticised a lot, especially when they don’t update devices to the latest and greatest software. So imagine the hate HTC are going to be up against as they’ve announced on their forums that their budget Windows Phone the 8S isn’t …
Facebook for Windows Phone has had many different faces, from the days when Microsoft made the app the way they wanted through to unified approach that Facebook have rolled out to their apps these days. Yesterday it Facebook updated it again and it looks even closer to the …
For those lucky souls who signed up for the Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview earlier on in the year, you’d better connect to Wi-Fi as there is a rather fancy update waiting for you. My Lumia 1020 has just decided to start downloading the update. If you’re wondering …
People often ask me to post stuff here. I get a lot of very random emails from companies from Shenzhen in China especially. Usually they start with “Hello friend, battery supply we can. You buy we price good. You review?” However, my mate wanted me to mention something …
Fitbit is a great service, allowing you to track steps, sleep, food, active periods of time all using a handy little Bluetooth wearable. I’ve been using the Fitbit Flex for a while now and it’s really interesting/motivating to see the latest figures. The Fitbit app has been available …
Are you one of those lucky people who are running Windows Phone 8.1? Do you fancy a new style lockscreen? Well today is your lucky day. Microsoft have finally released that fancy lockscreen that they showed off a while back. And it’s rather nice. Want to truly personalize …
Having all our video footage securely stored on our smartphones is great, but editing it can be a bit of a pain. If you’re using Windows Phone then it’s well worth giving Video Tuner a spin. Available for Lumia handsets, it’ll give Windows Phone 8.1 users the ability …
Now, although the official WordPress app is still available in the Windows Phone store, the WordPress website site doesn’t list a Windows Phone version any longer. It’s looking like the Windows Phone app might be getting quietly dropped, or development dropped at least, as the last update to …
My history with Windows Phone has been a colourful one, starting with the rather unique Dell Venue Pro, then moving onto the tiny little Nokia Lumia 800, then what I thought was huge at the time HTC Titan and then the HTC 8X and then it was Nokia …
A decent file management app is one offbeat the first things you install on a new device, be it a laptop, a tablet, a phone or even a desktop PC and it’s been one of the main things people cite as a reason that they “can’t possibly use …
The BBC have announced a major update to the iPlayer app for Windows Phone. This update swiches to and adaptive bitrate player to better handle varing connection speeds. The have added the ability to watch programs with subtitles and at last LIVE TV! You can get the app …
The world of music and entertainment has changed significantly over the last decade or so. Before that, we saw vinyl getting replaced by CD’s and then MP3’s. In the last decade people have switched from traditional brick-and-mortar shops to downloading tunes online. However, streaming music services like Spotify …
For the ‘developers’ amongst us who took the plunge and downloaded Windows Phone 8.1 there has been widespread support for the changes. That said, it is not a ‘developers preview’ without having its fair share of problems. Topping the list have been numerous complaints about battery life …
Poor old Windows Phone, it’s often the forgotten platform and gets lots of things last. Spotify was a prime example, where the app has languished far behind its iOS and Android brothers as they got shiny new features. But today Spotify has shown its Windows Phone app some love …
Just recently the new version of Cut The Rope arrived on Android. Trouble is, it’d been released months before on iOS. Watching an app or game being used by your mates which you can’t download is difficult and, according to the Wall Street Journal, it’s due in part …
A file manager with direct file system access and the ability to move and copy files between storage cards? On Windows Phone? Are you having a laugh? Aerize Explorer, which is available completely free in the Windows Phone Store lets you use a friendly and familiar browsing interface …
We all love surprises yes? How about free money? How about paid apps for free? Well yesterday Nokia published an app that if you’re compatible you’ll probably be saying “yes yes yes” to the above questions. Nokia Gift Voucher is the name of the app and what it …
For those of us unswayed by the app delights of iOS and the open source recklessness of Android, Windows Phone offers an attractive alternative. Since its launch in 2010 the OS has had a number of updates, some small, some large. Windows Phone 8, introduced in late 2012, …
