Meet The HTC 8x and 8s

I love new phones, and frankly, yesterday was the icing on the cake. My favorite hardware maker, HTC, released 2 new Windows Phones to the public eye yesterday. The new HTC 8x and 8s phones will be available in November and will carry with it some amazing features and specs. Let's take a look at the 8x first and follow that with the 8s.

The 8x is rumored to be headed to all the major carriers within the US. It features a 1.5GHz processor, a full 1GB of memory and 16GB of on-board storage. It also includes a Micro SD card slot that can use up to class 10, 32GB cards. The phone will be running Microsoft Windows Phone 8.0 out of the box. Its 4.3" Super LCD 2 display is crafted from Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and carries a 1280x724 pixel count (341 ppi)  for extremely sharp images.

The front facing 2.1MP camera includes an 88 degree field of view that will allow up to 4 people to be included in the self portrait mode. The rear facing 8MP camera has a BSI (low light) sensor and records video at a full 1080p resoltuion.

The included, non-removable 1800mAh battery should provide more than enough power to last through even the toughest days at the office. The 8x is available in Yellow, Blue, Black and Red and is rumored to be available in time for the Christmas shopping season.

The 8s, or the little brother to the x series, has many of the same features as its sibling, but makes some compromises to keep the cost of this device a bit lower. Powered by a single core 1GHz processor won't cause too much of a performance loss unless you are a heavy multitasker and losing the 4.3" Super LCD 2 display in favor of the lower cost 4" Super LCD will make the device have a much lower production cost. Dropping the RAM from 1GB to 512MB is the next. This is followed by the decrease in device storage from 16GB down to 4GB. It still includes the Micro SD slot for expansion so storage concerns should be minimal.

The front facing camera disappears from the device and the rear falls to 5MP with 720p video as a maximum resolution. The S also drops the compass from the directional controls and lowering the battery from the 1800mAh down to 1700mAh will also save a few bucks of the manufacturing costs. Though, we think the latter is a space move rather than a cost saver for the smaller device.

Overall, HTC has put out two top notch Windows Phones for two completely different markets. The X is aimed at the tech savvy individual that needs the latest and greatest device on the market and wants the top end specs. The S is aimed at someone that wants the best smartphone for the buck and isn't looking for all the extras. We expect to see the 8x hit the market at the $200 on-contract/$550 non-contract price and hope to see the 8s come in at $50 on-contract/$450 non-contract.

Data Saver: Nokia Music

There is something magical about an App that streams music, yet uses no data. It is that kind of App that earns our "Data Saver" award. Our Data Savers are Apps that are fully functional Apps that require minimal onboard storage while allowing a maximum entertainment experience. 

In our time with the Nokia 900, we've been lucky enough to test drive the amazing Nokia Music App. Available in the US for the Nokia 800 and 900 series devices, Nokia Music allows users with unlimited plans can stream music by artist, genre or the extremely well programmed presets. As an added bonus, this free software also has some tricks up its sleeves.

By long pressing on any station, you can select the offline play option that will download the entire station to the device memory for a non-data using music experience. The offline music option includes hours of tracks that are relevant to the genre or artists you select and also includes the album artwork as well. A quick tap of the skip button moves you on to the tracks that you want, without having to survive the tracks you don't.

The Nokia Music Player also accesses all the tracks in your device memory that have been loader via the Zune software on your PC. It will also allow direct purchases of any of the tracks you listen to and store them in your Nokia account.

Once again, Nokia has floored us with an amazing software package that is free to those with one of their premium handsets. The Lumia series hardware is still one of the most superior designs in the industry and the desire to own one is only made stronger by their amazing additions to the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 900 powered by GetSmartphones.Info

Quick Press: HTC Connection App Goes Missing

Rumored to have an update due in August, the unpopular HTC Connection Setup App has disappeared from the Windows Marketplace this evening. While it isn't clear if an update is imminent or of there was just a glitch, hopeful users will be watching to see if HTC is finally bringing some MVNO love to their App.

UPDATE 9/20: The app is back in the Marketplace, but no noticable changes or updates have taken affect? Perhaps a rejection from MS or was it just a simple glitch in the system?

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 900 powered by GetSmartphones.Info

Bank Of America App Comes To WP

Bank of America customers have new reason to celebrate their Focus S, Lumia series or other Windows Phone, with the release of the new BOA App for Windows Phone. The App allows for balance checking and transfers, online bill paying, photo check deposit and quite a few other handy features.

You can download the App via the Windows Phone Marketplace - http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=ad8a76fa-ca71-e011-81d2-78e7d1fa76f8

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 900 powered by GetSmartphones.Info

Nokia Continues Exclusive Software

Nokia continues to step up their Windows Phone game with their new "Welcome Home To Windows Phone" software package. This PC based software will scan your iPhone, Android device or BlackBerry for contacts, calendars, pictures, songs and videos . Once it's done, it will also scan the Apps that are loaded on your device and recommend new ones for your Windows Phone.

While not everything is perfect on with the system, the fact that in a matter of an hour, everything on your old phone is backed up and moved to your new Lumia makes this a great addition to the Nokia lineup. It's almost made Nokia the only Windows Phone partner worth looking at until the Windows Phone 8 devices come to market.

From Nokia

A Moment With The Lumia 900

The folks at @NokiaUS were kind enough to send off one of their current flagship devices, the Lumia 900, for me to play with this week. After catching up with them at the gdgt Seattle show, I was very intrigued by the feel of the device and all the "exclusive" software that Nokia is pushing out for them. So, here are my thoughts on this powerhouse device.

The build quality is very nice, but not flawless. The chassis is solid enough, and the wrap around design is gorgeous, by the physical buttons just seem a bit cheap and feel as if they will fall out of the phone way too soon. The screen also rises higher than the casing, which makes for an interesting feel when scrolling quickly and catching an edge.

The camera seems to be on par with the Titan shooter that I am currently using. It is a standard 8MP rear / 1MP front camera setup, with the exception of Nokia offering various software editing Apps and solutions. It is very much like the Samsung solution that the Focus S uses. Overall, the camera is solid and ready to capture those important moments in life.

Of course, the OS is smooth. There seems to be about 12GB of internal storage available after uninstalling the AT&T stuff and ESPN, but anything over 10 should be enough for the average user.

The true shining star for the Lumia is the Clear Black screen. The 4.3" screen has the deepest color that I have seen on a device in quite some time. Make sure to leave the backgrounds on the black settings as Nokia's design uses less power when set this way. Dark is good, right?

The other astounding feature is the WiFi range on the 900. My Titan and Focus S both struggled with WiFi signals across my home. The Lumia powers through whatever interference there is and hold a very solid signal. That is an excellent feature for those on limited data plans.

So, do I recommend picking up the Lumia 900 from Nokia? Yes, but only if you are buying off contract. A 2 or 3 year deal isn't worth buying a DOA device for a $350 discount. Currently, used 900's can be had in the $250, so go find a good one at that price, or purchase outright for $450 and enjoy it for about a year. Then sell it for $150-200 and get that new Windows Phone 8 device you were waiting for. In the meantime, you'll love you 900.

Sent from my HTC Titan Windows Phone powered by GetSmartphones.Info

Solavei - Scam Or Brilliant Money Maker?

The Windows Phone platform is going through a change from Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8. This is leaving quite a few users with a contract free Windows Phone and a very expensive cellular bill. With options like Straight Talk, Red Pocket Mobile and Simple Mobile, the sub $50 price point has become quite the place to start looking instead of continuing to pay those $150 plus cell bills every month.
The problem with most of the prepaid plans is the limited data allowances. Smartphones today use a huge amount of data for things like mapping, streaming and even just downloading a new OS update. While the latter statement doesn't apply to your Windows Phone, the first two certainly can.
With Straight Talk, you are limited to 2GB per month and 100MB per day before they start taking action against your connection. Red Pocket offers a 1GB plan for $54.99 and Simple Mobile begins their shutdowns at 1GB as well. In the case of these plans, unlimited isn't really unlimited. That's where Solavei is different - unlimited means 4GB of 4G data and unlimited 2G data there after.
Now that we know that Solavei offers an unlimited voice and text plan along with 4GB of 4G data, how do we use this with our old Windows Phones? Well, that's simple. Solavei pays us to refer users to their service. Folks running that HTC Radar or Nokia Lumia 710 are set and ready to roll with a minor tweak to the APN settings. Others using Titans, Lumia 900's or even a Focus S can take advantage of 2G data in every market, and in many that have the 1900mhz bands active for T-Mobile, can use 3G/4G data as well.
With handsets ready to go, you can now turn your Windows Phone into that cash machine you've been dreaming about. If you are reading a blog, you probably love to talk phones and service. If you talk to others about phones and service, this is going to make your day. With an invite from us, you can start building out your trios, that's groups of three users, and begin earning cash. $20 is paid out for each active trio you have in your group. You also make $20 for every trio that a member of your trio brings in. This means with 12 users that you bring in, you make $80 per month. If 6 of those 12 bring in 3 people each, then you will make $120 per month off of those trios as well. For simply introducing 12 people to Solavei, you will be earning $200 a month, plus if you can bring those 12 into the system within the first 60 days, you will get a $650 bonus. That's cash in your pocket for just talking cellphones!
Solavei is taking the advertising away from Madison Avenue and bringing it home to the people that use their service daily. If you are ready to make the plunge today and reserve a spot in the Solavei network, email us today. I'd be happy to address any questions you may have and help you get started with an amazing opportunity.
Post by Ron Lunsford - Editor SmartphoneReport.Info / Focus On Windows Phone


Updated 9/18/14 - For some reason, this posting seems to be getting more and more views every day. Unfortunately, since it was published, there have been quite a few changes to the Solavei system, and not in a good way. In June of this year, Solavei filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company is reportedly $100 million in debt and only has complete assets totaling $65 million. To make up for this, they have raised prices, cut data allotments and now require a buy-in to get your business going. They are no longer the best deal around, nor are they even a good option when compared to the plans from carriers like Red Pocket Mobile that allow you to tailor a plan closer to your needs. Overall, the landscape on the prepaid scene has changed immensely in 2 years, and everyone should take note of it. The cash you save will be your own.