Fresh Paint for Windows Phone Updated with Added Features

Fresh Paint, an app that unleashes your creativity, gets updated with new features:

• New pencil
• Inspire Me (practice with Bing images)
• OneDrive integration to pick up drawings where you left off
• Front-facing camera support
• Improved camera lenses
• bug fixes

Download the update in the Windows Phone store now.

Twitter for Windows Phone Gets an Update

Earlier today, Twitter for Windows Phone gets an update to version 3.2.0.1 with small bugfixes and improvements. No noticeable changes are seen in the UI. Find out for yourself and grab the update if you have a Windows Phone.

What do you think? Do you see small changes?

Windows Phone 8.1 Kicks Off Today, Lumia Cyan Slowly Pushed Out to Nokia Devices

Windows Phone 8.1 was first announced at Build 2014 on April 2nd. It was made available to download for testing to developers as a preview on April 14th. After a month, the preview received its first update, then followed by another update after a week and another after that. Now, the preview feels buttery smooth due to constant crash reports by some users and Microsoft answered by rapidly fixing those bugs. To a beta tester, the coming of the final version of the software upgrade for Windows Phone seems like ages. Microsoft has been quiet about when the update will roll out. Many reports claim that it might come out soon but we waited for like two weeks. It seems to take forever. But forever has ended. Windows phone 8.1 update starts getting to devices today. This was officially announced by Microsoft through the old Nokia website. Nokia is now a part of Microsoft dubbed as Microsoft Mobile.

Source: Nokia.com

Source: Nokia.com

The update only started to roll out so it means that a select few models have received the update such as Lumia 625 and the Lumia 925. Updates for other models are yet to arrive because it's still under carrier testing. The Lumia Cyan is a power pack update for Nokia devices that includes Lumia added features for Nokia devices. Compared with the developer preview, a few improvements noted are related to camera app tweaks, image editing integration, Bing app single sign-in, brightness profiles, device hub, wireless screen projection, SensorCore and Dynamic Lockscreen. Many feature-rich upgrades were announced at the build but some of these additions were not fully experienced due to firmware restrictions. Once the official update gets installed, Lumia owners will be able to enjoy all these that were not included in the preview.

Of course, let's not forget about Cortana, the more personal digital assistant that can understand natural language. Right now she's just available for the US. After beta, she'll venture worldwide to help us, Lumia owners, and simplify our everyday lives with searches on matters that mean to us the most.

Facebook Beta for Windows Phone Now Supports Messenger

Facebook Beta just received an update earlier bringing together improvements for better app navigation and functionality. The new UI overhaul is still in the beta stage but it has improved a lot since it updated to this refreshed user experience a month ago. The official Facebook app is still using the older UI and it will soon be upgraded (might be) to this one after the GDR of the Windows Phone 8.1 platform is released to the public.

Some of the improvements noted are:

• Messenger Support. Facebook seem disconnected then with the Messenger app because it renders useless as there is also a chat area for the Facebook app. But now, selecting the chat icon opens the Messenger app, so this will be your one place for chatting to Facebook contacts.
• Post Detail Page. Then, when you open a post you still have to open the Comments and Like links to see who commented and how many likes you've got. Now, recent comments and number of likes are displayed at the bottom of the post.
• Performance Improvements and Bug Fixes. The new update generally feels a lot faster to load and less waiting time. Even the video and photo uploads are great with no errors or problems.

Beta testers if you want to try out Facebook Beta, just head to the store link and download the update.

Twitter for Windows Phone Now a Universal App

Universal apps are ever increasing in the Windows Phone store and Twitter, after a long time, just received an update today to be a candidate for this. Now, you can tag friends in a photo, upload multiple photos to a single tweet, share photos through direct messages, see your Twitter photos and Vine videos in your timeline, and directly retweet, reply, favorite or follow someone from within the tweet. These are just some of the added features introduced in this update.

Get the update for Twitter to see the difference.

Bing Travel App for Windows Phone Updated to a Universal App

The Bing suite of apps were updated just a few days ago to support the universal apps that's being pushed by Microsoft for all Windows powered-devices. Here's a link to that post. But Bing Travel was not one of them. And if you're wishing that it would become a Universal App, your wish is granted as it's update to version 3.0.3.344 is available for download in the store.

So, if you're fond of travelling and getting information from other countries to guide your trips and destinations, head to the store and download the update today.

Microsoft Mobile Updated the Rate Us Settings for Lumia Phone

Microsoft Mobile/Nokia updated the Rate Us Settings app for Lumia phones today to version 2.5.2.7. This app lets users shout out to Microsoft of what they think about their Lumia phones by submitting a rate score and a comment.

So, what do you think about your Lumia phone? Have yourself be heard by the company that made it. Download the update for Rate Us now.

Nokia Storyteller Updated with Bugfixes

The Nokia Storyteller app groups you photos, videos and cinemagraphs into stories that you can share to others in the form of a slideshow. The app gets its update to version 2.1.0.4 today.

The release notes are as follows:

• Living Images are displayed in Nokia Storyteller
• Photos and videos in a story are combined with a backing track to create a 30-second story video
• Nokia Storyteller integrates with Nokia Creative Studio and Nokia Video Trimmer for editing your photos and videos
• Location data is associated with your photos within Nokia Storyteller

Check for the update in the Store today.

Windows Phone's Bing Rewards App Updated for the Third Time

Bing Rewards, a Microsoft search engine that allows you to earn points just by searching in Bing search engine, gets its third update for Windows Phone.

The first update lets you get into the app but would pop up a message that reads "Your country is not supported at this time". Since point system is initially available in the United States, users outside the US won't be able to take advantage of it. The second update was unusable because the app can't open. An error message states that the app might not have been installed properly and needs to be uninstalled. However, uninstalling the app and reinstalling it gives no remedy. It still crashes. The third update gets the work done. Now, you can navigate within the app and see your points.

I'm just not sure why it worked since I'm outside the US. I just tweaked my phone to think that I'm in that country to get the Cortana functionality. On the other hand, the PC version also won't allow you to earn points when you go to www.bing.com. But if you use the Bing desktop to search, your start earning points. Using Cortana on Windows Phone to search lets you earn points since it's powered by Bing.

Right now, earned points can be redeemed if you're in the United States. But let's just hope the service will be rolled out internationally soon. And by that time, you'll have enough points to enter to raffle draws, to donate points to charity, and to redeem points with Microsoft products like free OneDrive storage and Skype credits and much more.

Download Bing Rewards in the store today.

Xbox Music and Video Update to Bring Fixes and Improve App Performance

Xbox Music and Xbox Video gets minor fixes and improvements with this update. Xbox Music lets you purchase music on the store with the functionality of a music player to manage your songs while Xbox Video app brings together your favorite TV shows and movies on your phone, including streamable and downloadable digital content.

Download Xbox Music and Xbox Video in the store today.

Nokia Cinemagraph Gets Updated for Improved Performance

Nokia Cinemagraph, a Movie Maker-like photo editor that lets you add transition effects to your photos, is updated to version 4.2 to have the following fixes and improvements:

• export cinemagraphs as GIF files
• location data for better integration with Nokia Storyteller
• general performance improvements

Take note that this app is only available for the Lumia range of devices.

Download the app in the store through this link.

Remote Desktop App for Windows Phone Gets an Update

Remote Desktop App, which can let you control your Windows PC remotely via Windows Phone, gets an update to version 8.1.2 today. The store changelog are as follows:

• Improved ability to connect to your home PC by name
• Resized the remote keyboard based on the device size
• Bug fixes and other improvements

Download the update via the Windows Phone store today.

Google's Android L is Just a Mash Up of Windows and iOS

Microsoft

Microsoft held its Build Developer Conference is San Francisco last April 2nd. One of the most interesting announcements made by Joe Belfiore is Windows Phone 8.1 update. If you're a fan of the mobile OS, you'll be blown away by a ton of additions that adds functionality to the phone, making it a feature pack smartphone. It jumped from a consumer communication device into an enterprise business friendly one, from a half-baked OS into a an almost complete one.

The make of the phone UI was inspired by Windows 8's Live Tiles that continues to feed live updates on the Start Screen. And speaking of Windows 8, it uses the Metro Interface and later was renamed to Modern. Microsoft is working hard to implement the One Windows ecosystem where every Windows device syncs with each other. This was properly implemented in OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive), where editing documents (including OneNote) can be continued on a tablet or another laptop and Windows Phone, as long as the user is signed in on all of these devices. Apps in the store are also saved as a history so that users can opt to download them in each of their devices.

Going back to Windows Phone, the 8.1 update is surprisingly an x.1 update when in fact it brought more to the table for the OS, making it the major update in the history of Windows Phone. It includes Cortana, the sassy and clever digital assistant, Action Center, the most requested feature, Sense Apps for Wi-Fi, battery, storage and data, file manager, Word Flow keyboard, Office, Internet Explorer 11, separate volume sliders for notifications and apps, automatic app updates, Project My Screen for displaying phone's content to the big screen or wirelessly via Miracast, Accessibility updated to run Narrator similar to Windows PC, a line of Xbox services, DirectX feature for gaming, Bing apps, Universal apps and enterprise features.

Apple

Come June 2nd is Apple's WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) which announced similar approach to its OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 bringing their PC and smartphones closer together. This is said to be an unexpected update that left the audience jaw-dropped and applauding unexpectedly after the announcement.

Apple added a sidebar Notification Center where you can add widgets from third parties that makes OS X function and look more like in iOS. Typing on the search field brings you to a window where everything from local content, apps and online results show up, similar to Bing search in Windows which renders a universal search locally and online.

Their iCloud is also updated where formerly, you can only access your documents online, now it can be done offline, similar to OneDrive's approach that can save files offline and syncs to the cloud when connected to the internet. Handoff is a new feature where Apple devices communicate with each other by syncing documents you're working on, and websites you're browsing. It's like continue where you left off but the big difference is it's with every device that's nearby that gives the continuity in your tasks. And continuity is experienced further in placing phone calls and reading and sending text messages. Now you can receive text and calls on iMac so you don't have to fuss looking for your phone if you're already in front of your computer.

Apple also introduced QuickType which is similar to Windows Phone's Word Flow where swiping will get the job done together with the powerful text prediction.

Siri, Apple's digital assistant, is now hands-free. Just say "Hey Siri" and you can activate her to listen by voice. This is similar to Google Now's "OK Google" voice command.

Google

It was June 25th when Google held their Google I/O conference in San Francisco. Many are waiting for Google's big bang for Android. Then came the first keynote that introduced the many changes to the Android platform. Here comes Google's "Material Design". Android has gone flat? More striking colors in apps and animations were added in the interface. This looks like "Modern" in Microsoft's Windows 8 when they introduced their flat design known as "Metro" for its interface back in 2012 that was later renamed. Big, bold font for a cleaner, easier reading, where Windows now uses Segoe UI, Google tweaked some of their official font to look "clean". Sending text message and accepting calls are available in desktop Chrome which is similar to Apple's continuity between devices. They also updated the keyboard for Aldroid L to have a functionality similar to Windows Phone's Word Flow keyboard and iOS's QuickType.

Now, Google is pushing devices (AndroidOne) with 512 Mb RAM and they've updated their latest entry level software, Android L, to be optimized for low-memory devices. Way back in April, Microsoft made their Windows Phone 8.1 update run smoothly with limited memory phones. Now what's new with Google after all?

Now What?

Microsoft's addition of some of its features is said to play catch up on Android and iOS. Google may have introduced a revolutionary software to the crowd yet it looks like Android is now playing catch up with Windows Phone. Most of its UI changes were inspired by Windows Phone's bright and bold colors and flat design interface. Google should have done this years ago.

Now, the three tech giants are getting head to head as they push several innovations that could now compete with each other. Features can be confusing with different names and trademarks but putting them together makes them a worthy "trival" (three rivals). Let's wait and see who pushes the changes first and who re-brands it. Sounds interesting? How fast technology evolves!

Microsoft Universal Bing Apps Bunch Update for Windows Phone

Last April 2nd, during their Build Conference in San Francisco, Microsoft promised to bring universal apps to Windows Phone. Download the app once and have it installed on all devices. Since the Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview release, developers slowly rolled out the update to their apps to support it. Bing apps were slowly updated to bring universal apps to Windows Phone users. As far as I can remember, the first Bing app to receive the update is the Bing News app. After the update you can notice a resemblance with the desktop app.

Just recently, app updates popped up in the store and guess what? Bing apps are here again but the good news is, they will now support universal apps for Windows devices. It's not just one, but six of them: Bing Weather, Bing Health & Fitness, Bing Sports, Bing Finance, Bing Food & Drink, and Bing News.

These apps were once the default apps for Windows 8 PC but now, it's extended to Windows Phone as one with the desktop. Download each one on the Windows Store through each link above.

Camera 360 for Windows Phone Gets an Update

Camera 360 let's you play with your photos using different lighting effects and manual exposures making you a camera pro in seconds. This app unleashes the creativity in you. And what's more creative? The app was recently updated to version 2.0.2 making it cross compatible to Windows Phone 8 and 8.1.

The store changelog listed the following fixes:

Fix the bugs on 8.1
New tips for Double Exposure.
Improvement for Splash Screen 

Download the update in the Windows Phone Store today.

Adobe Photoshop Express Now Comes to Windows Phone

Just this month, Adobe Photoshop Express was released to the Windows Store on PC and this time, it's Windows Phone's turn. The app is now qualified as a Universal App so you can install it to a Windows phone, tablet or PC.

Here are its set of features listed in the store:

Basics: Crop, Straighten, Rotate, and Flip 
your photos. Remove red eye.
Auto-Fix: One-touch adjustment for Brightness, Exposure and Shadows.
Color: Slider controls for Exposure, Contrast, Clarity, Vibrance and more.
One-touch filters “Looks”: Choose from over 20 eye-catching effects!
Get creative by adding the Looks Pack* and Noise Reduction Pack*
Share easily to social sites like Instagram and Facebook, and via SMS text.

Looks Pack and Noise Reduction Pack are available as an in-app purchase if you want to add more detail to your photos. You can download Adobe Photoshop Express in the store today.

Skype for Windows Phone Updated

Skype, now part of Microsoft's services, is the most popular VOIP (voice-over IP) and IM (instant messaging) service worldwide, gets an update in Windows Phone store to version 2.19.0.172 today.

The improvements in this version as noted from the store are as follows:

• Misssspelt a word? Now you can correct instant messages in chat.
• Added support for even more languages (51 so far).
• General fixes and improvements.
  

There is also an added Cortana functionality that comes with the update. Download the update here. It's compatible with Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 as well.

Windows App Studio Gets an Update for Universal App

Windows App Studio, which allows Windows Phone users to get creative with their own apps, gets an update today. Once available only for Windows Phone, now it's updated as a universal app so if it's installed on your phone, it's going to update your apps list on Windows PC so you can install it later if you want to continue working on your project in front of the computer.

Download the app in the store today.

Glympse App for Windows Phone Gets an Update

Glympse, a location sharing app that needs no sign-up and social networks to work, received an update to version 2.1.0.8 today. The changelog states that the update brings:

Fix - International users should no longer have data loss issues involving shortcuts or destinations.
Fix - International users should no longer crash when using the destination picker.
Fix - Setting distant destinations should no longer crash.
Fix - Several cases where attempting to resume using the app (after tombstone) should no longer crash.


So head to the store and check for updates.

Bing Rewards Arrives to Windows Phone

Great news Windows Phone owners. Bing Rewards app is now available in the store. Now you can see your points rack up as you search with Bing and Cortana. Pinning it on the Start Screen brings a Live Tile of your current points. The only downside is getting points in searching through Bing is initially available for US residents only but hopefully, this is going to expand in the near future to other countries.

So go ahead and download the app in the link above.

Pinterest Beta for Windows Phone Updated Today

Pinterest, a social app that allows users to pin pictures to boards that users gets interested in, debuted to Windows Phone as a beta app last June 12th. Just one week after its release, the app received an update to version 1.0.1.0.

No changelog was published on the store. But a few tweaks and workarounds might have been updated including improvements in performance and stability.

Go ahead and update Pinterest today.

Lumia 520 Owners Might Need to Wait Till August to Taste the 8.1 Cyan Update

Windows Phone owners of the Lumia 520 might wait till August for the general public update to arrive. Based on a twitter post by @evleaks, the public OTA (over-the-air) update schedule of Cyan software for most Lumia phones will be on the August time frame. This is according to a leaked Microsoft schedule documentation labeled "Confidential".

Recent rumors suggested that the software will go live by June 24th but only select models like Lumia 925 received the update in countries like Finland and Argentina. WP owners should also note that Windows Phone 8.1 life cycle begins on the 24th of June, according to Microsoft, and it doesn't mean that the updates will be pushed immediately to users on that same day. Software update release is carrier-dependent. Carriers will determine its time frame because they will still have to do some internal testing before it's released to their subscribers.

Possibly, the updates may arrive unexpectedly a little later. Based on the leaked photo, the schedule varies by market and are subject to change. So this gives a little hope to Lumia owners out there who's itching to get the official update. We don't know what's up ahead so let's hope for the best. It'll come as it may.

Facebook Beta for Windows Phone Updated Today!

Facebook Beta just got its major update last week and today it'll be raised to version 8.3.0.2 from 8.2.x. The beta app has undergone a total redesign from its "Metroish" look into an Android-inspired Facebook interface yet preserving some Metro style in the app like the fonts used.

Microsoft has been intently listening to UserVoice and bringing this update answers to many requests from users. The app itself is a lot faster than it's previous version. Uploading pictures through status update is generally better. No more failed to post pop-up appears during upload.

The store notes what's new in this version:

• Updated design
• Improved performance
• Video upload
• Support for additional languages

Check out the update for Facebook Beta today.

Why I Love Windows?

Preferences speaks personality. And phones do have them. Most people would prefer the fast-rising Android phones or the expensive, elite-feel iOS. I once fancied owning one of these phones. But I made an aggressive move not to have them. They're too famous and it makes me feel like "it's kind of boring". Why not try something else? A different flavor that is. Something that's not used by many.

Jumping from one operating system like Windows 7 to Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 requires a learning curve. And it won't take days before you can make it a habit. With this fast-paced implementation, you need to keep up with technology.

I'm at home with Windows and they've created a unified experience across all of their devices. Jumping from one platform to the next won't make you miss a thing as apps sync from device to device.

My name is Joe, and I'm a proud owner of a Windows Phone and Cortana is my personal digital assistant.

One experience, one Microsoft, one Windows!

Nokia Camera App Updated to Integrate with Nokia Editing Tools

Microsoft Mobile just released an update for the Nokia Camera app with version 4.7.2.5 adding support for Living Images and integration to Nokia Creative Studio and Nokia Video Trimmer.

What's new in this version?

• Support for Living Images
• Continuous autofocus for faster focusing

• Surround sound in video capture

• New camera roll with full resolution zoom and inline playback of videos, cinemagraphs, smart sequences and Refocus images
  

• Nokia Camera integrates with Nokia Creative Studio and Nokia Video Trimmer for editing your photos and videos

To update your apps just go to the store and install pending updates if you have set it to manually check for updates or just let it do the work if it's set to automatic updates. You can find the link here.

OneDrive Receives a Minor Update in the Recent Patch Tuesday

OneDrive, (previously called SkyDrive) is Microsoft's file hosting service to the cloud used for online backup and syncing of files to any device that uses a Microsoft account to access uploaded files.

The April 2014 Windows 8.1 Update 1 patch Tuesday made revisions to SkyDrive by changing its name to OneDrive and adding an icon in the notification area making it easier to access it instead of going to the OneDrive app in the Start Screen. This reduced the blur between the Metro UI and the desktop so as not to feel as if it's a different interface because it is now accessible in the desktop itself. At first, clicking on the icon opens the file explorer for OneDrive in the desktop. But the recent June 2014 update added small improvements to its notification. Now, clicking on the icon opens a pop up screen that shows you the sync status, manual syncing and pausing, and at the bottom, you can opt to open it in file explorer.

These are just some of the minor improvements OneDrive's interface has received and what more with the other updates that's going to arrive in the coming months. How about the left side of the taskbar? The Start Menu? Will it be receiving the promised upgrade as to what was announced during Microsoft's //build/ 2014 event in San Francisco? Let's just keep our fingers crossed and wait for it to unfold in front of our eyes. Who knows what Microsoft has in store for us? If we'll be lucky enough, we can have it this fall instead of waiting for Windows 9 on 2015. Please leave your thoughts in the comments down below.

Lazada Online Shopping Now Gets an Official Windows Phone App

Lazada is an online store/mall that is operating in the Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. They have a great selection of items that you can purchase via COD (cash on delivery), or credit/debit card. Some items are discounted for a limited time while others go on sale for a while.

Their app is available only for Android and iOS. The store's look was revamped a few days ago and they added another phone platform for their phone app, Windows Phone. After installing the app you will be greeted with a welcome screen to select you country preference. Click save and you're good to go for online shopping. The interface is reminiscent of the desktop version so you won't have to feel like a stranger in navigating the app.

If you don't want to have the hassles in shopping to malls, why not go online? You can save time and energy plus you can have great discounts in its vast selection of products. I want to hear from you in the comments down below.

Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview Gets Another Update for the Third Time

It's been a week since the second update was rolled out and here we go again, another update for devs were released for the third time. I woke up yesterday morning with my phone notifying me of an update that's 5MB large. Unlike the second update that's packed with a 22MB installer, this one's lighter and smaller.

This time around, Joe Belfiore didn't tweet about the update. No information was also given as to what improvements were included in the package. Even I don't see any difference in the settings or UI.

Microsoft is rapidly implementing post-RTM updates for developers. This might be a hint that the final build is being fine-tuned for testing. It's been announced during the Build Conference dated April 2, 2014 that the official public update will be released this summer and it won't be long before it sees light.

Have you seen any changes with the latest update? Please feel free to leave what you think in the comments down below.

Cortana Gets a Refreshed UI Tweak

Last night, I opened Cortana to check for news that I follow when I was surprised to see that Cortana's interface have been changed. Topics are now separated by a dividing line.

Finance app is now fully integrated with Cortana. You don't have to manually add corporations to follow as it will pull what you have added in the app as opposed previously where you have to add them one by one.

At the buttom, Cortana will ask you to help her know you better by answering a short survey. After that, she will add new interests based on your answers and you're good to go.

However, something's broken. I have noticed that weather updates are still in Fahrenheit, even though when you open the weather app it's set to Celsius. I hope future updates will fix this so as to make it more personal. Google Now have implemented this fairly in Google cards wherein you can personalize the temperature to Celsius and that will be shown every time it's pulled up.

How about you? What have you noticed with this out of the blue Cortana update? Please leave your comments down below.

Windows Phone 8.1 Cyan Update to Arrive Soon

Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President and manager for Windows Phone Program Management, regularly posts on his twitter account to reach out to followers about the latest update in Windows Phone 8.1.

 Just yesterday, he tweeted that the software for Lumia devices has been finalized and is undergoing testing and fixes. If the updates come out as stable and with no problems, it'll be released OTA (over-the-air) in no time.

But Windows Phone owners should note that it's for Lumia devices only. Software updates for phones from other OEMs might follow through. These updates will slowly roll out to various Lumia models in the near future.

What do you think? Will the GDR update be the same as the Dev Preview or will it contain a slight UI overhaul with regards to Facebook and Twitter integration? Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Lastly, here's a video on some of the neat features of Windows Phone 8.1 for you to watch.