Thursday, August 22, 2013

Please Fix My YouTube

This is my shot at an open letter to Microsoft regarding the issues surrounding the YouTube App for Windows Phone and Google's objections to it.

Dear Microsoft,

I have to say, you are losing your mind. You take the time to develop an amazing piece of software, then you change it to help a competitor out, and then you let said competitor block you from accessing the content the App was created to display. Not only are you losing your mind, but your manhood was in that box as well.

There needs to be a point where playing nice goes out the window. There's a point where you hire the developers you need in your mobile division to write the Instagram App, the YouTube App and the bevy of others that are missing from your line up and tell the other companies you don't need them.

This shouldn't be a complex thing. For a company with as many smart people as you have, it should take almost no time to make this happen. Stop waiting for approval and make it happen. It will be easier to say "sorry" than wait for someone to give you the OK.

Oh, and if you are worried about lawsuits or legal action, there's an easy fix... Pull your licensing from Android and destroy their software. Then do the same to Apple... All of the sudden we're back to 2006 and Windows Phone will be duking it out with BlackBerry for market supremacy.

Signed,
Me

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
Powered by www.4GFastData.com
$40 Unlimited Talk, Text and Data

Thursday, August 8, 2013

BING! My Apps Have Finally Arrived!

If there was one thing about my Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 experience that drove me crazy, it was the lack of great ‘tiles’ for News and Sports. I know everyone said to use the ESPN app or the CNN app, but they were not as cool as my amazing BING apps on my netbook. Today, things change for my handy dandy Lumia!

There is a new crop of Apps in the store for your Windows Phone from Microsoft. The Apps are free and you can download the new News, Sports, Weather and Finance Apps today with the links below.

News: http://msft.it/6031ZIXN
Sports: http://msft.it/6032ZIX4
Weather: http://msft.it/6033ZIXf
Finance: http://msft.it/6034ZIXA

Switch With Me For Free!

You know what, I love my new cell plan. I love the $39.99 bill. I love the fact that they tell me where it will work and where it won’t. I love the fact that I know I can get support for the problems I have and I love the direct answers I get. Overall, Spot Mobile is treating me well. Of course, I know that Spot isn’t for everyone, but that’s why I love places like www.4gfastdata.com that offers choices!

Right now, 4GFastData.com is offering users a chance to get a FREE SIM Card on Red Pocket Mobile (AT&T), Simple Mobile (T-Mobile) or Spot Mobile (T-Mobile) with the purchase of an unlimited plan. This deal saves users up to $19.95 over retail pricing. You simply log in, make a PayPal payment for the plan you want and your SIM card arrives in a few days with a PIN to activate it for a month of service. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

If you want to make a bit of money on the side as well, for every person you send to 4GFastData.com, you can earn up to $10 cash! No pay cards, or requirements to have them stay in the program, just $10 cash, well, check, but still, $10 in your pocket! Visit their referral page for complete details and start earning today!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Upgrade Your Lumia With Lumia Storage Check

One of the bright spots of the new Nokia updates that included their Storage Check feature was the ability to check out what was eating up all that internal phone space. What wasn't included in the final release of Storage Check was the ability to move your Here Maps to the SD Card. This feature was present in the beta versions, but somehow missed making it to the final cut. My guess is that so few of the Lumia’s used SD cards at the time it was programmed that they just didn’t see a need for it, but who knows.

Good news though, I’ve tracked down the link to the original Lumia Storage Check Beta for everyone to access through the market. You can access the Lumia Storage Check Beta App here and download it to your device. It must be running a .1300 series firmware to work correctly, but most devices should be there by now.

Keep in mind, to access this version, you must go through the App Menu like a regular item and not use the storage check feature listed in the settings menu. That said, enjoy a bit of freedom on that internal storage and

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/lumia-storage-check-beta/c2adc981-83c2-4f19-8161-67149e44214c

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
Powered by www.4gfastdata.com

Updating Your Lumia 810 To GDR2/Amber

 

wp_ss_20130807_0001

Yes, I am happy this morning. My Lumia 810 received an unofficial update yesterday, albeit a bit of an adventure to install. That’s right, GDR2/Amber has arrived for the 810, via a bit of Nokia magic and software. Here’s the basic run down of what the update included, and didn’t include.

The Good: Storage check is present and accounted for. This means a bit more control over the limited 8GB of internal storage. Data Sense is also on board for this update. This is huge for those that are running limited data plans or those that are throttled after a certain level of usage. It’s good to know where you sit and Data Sense performs that task perfectly. Other features included, though a bit less dramatic in performance are the Lumia Color Profile, which allows you to set the saturation level of your screen, Double Tap To Wake and Nokia Glance. Glance is a new ‘lock screen’ concept that displays a clock and your battery level when the phone is in sleep mode. Night mode takes it a step further by turning your 810 into an alarm clock.

The Bad: Sorry, Wi-Fi calling did not make an appearance with this one. It also seems that the camera is far from as sharp when shooting in darker scenes. It still works pretty well, but not quite as well as it did in the 1250, Portico, update. The other slight issue that I have seen is a bit more drain on the battery. I’m not talking the dreaded dead in four hours, but about a 10-15% decrease in overall life. With normal use, my 810 would usually be about 75% shot in 5-6 hours. Post update, I am running at 69% in the same time frame. Not a critical fault by any means, but something to watch for.

Overall, the 810 benefits quite a bit from the 1326 update. The additions of Storage Check and Data Sense make the update well worth the trouble of getting. For those that want to snag it without waiting for T-Mobile to push it out, you can find the somewhat easy process at Windows Phone Central’s Lumia 810 Forum.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
Powered by www.4gfastdata.com

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Grab A Sprint HTC 8XT For $29.99

Click here for details about the HTC 8XT with Sprint service!

No, this is not a misprint. The almost new HTC 8XT is one of the brighter spots in the evolution of Windows Phone hardware and, as of right now, it can be had for a lowly $29.99 from GetSmartphones.Info.

The HTC 8XT for Sprint features a 4.3” off center viewing enhanced screen, an 8MP BSI wide angle rear camera and a 1.6MP wide angle front facing camera for self portraits of the entire family. The dual core 1.4GhHz processor keeps Windows Phone moving along beautifully and the 8GB of internal storage is augmented by a microSD card slot that will accommodate cards up to 32GB in size.

Overall, the HTC 8XT is the phone that most HTC Windows Phone users were dreaming of when the original 8 was released. With the additions of BoomSound and the dual front facing speakers, the HTC 8XT is also a music lovers dream device.

The HTC 8XT is $29.99 for new Sprint subscribers right now and $79.99 for those looking to upgrade their plans. The outright price of the HTC 8XT is $429.99, which still makes the first Windows Phone 8 offering from Sprint tempting, even without a contract. Remember, those non-contract phones can be used with Ting, Boost, Virgin and any other Sprint MVNO as well.