Blocked: Instagram Blocks 3rd Party Apps

Are you a user of Instance or another 3rd party Instagram App for Windows Phone? If you are, you probably noticed the same thing I did last night – your photos weren’t staying uploaded.

The first sign of an issue came when log-in credentials weren’t being recognized. Then after an uninstall/reinstall, they were finally working ok. I then tried to upload a photo and everything was good, until I refreshed my view and the photo never appeared. Clicking the Twitter link to the image did no good either, the page was gone. The photo was removed by Instagram before it even had a chance to be seen.

This appears to be a wide spread problem across the entire selection of Windows Phone clients. The exception is Hipstamatic Oggl, which still allows access to posting to Instagram provided you are logged in to the service in the App.

There are only 2 real reasons why Instagram would be blocking Windows Phone traffic to their site. Either they are close to an official App and they are trying to get people frustrated with third party Apps, or they have a backdoor agreement with someone to block the content. Of course, the third option, if it is an option is that the developers of said 3rd party Apps found a backdoor for uploading and Instagram has decided to delete any content coming in through said door.

Call it security, call it favoritism, but I will call it what it is… Bad marketing. I’m back to Fhotoroom for sharing. It’s a better App, easier to operate and has way more interesting content than Instagram. I will miss you in my Klout score heavily, but there’s no other way around it.

GetSmartphones.Info Offering FREE SIM Cards With Plan Purchase!

For those looking to make the move to Red Pocket Mobile, Spot Mobile or Simple Mobile, we have a deal for you. Our partners over at GetSmartphones.Info are passing on an incredible deal right now. With any plan $39.99 or higher, you can get that SIM card absolutely FREE!

To take advantage of this offer on Red Pocket Mobile, visit www.4gfastdata.com and select the FREE SIM GIVEAWAY logo on any page. Select the plan you would like to try for your first month. You have a choice of the $29.99 talk and text plan, the $39.99 talk, text, international and 100MB data plan, or the $49.99/54.99/59.99 plans that include 500MB/1GB/2GB of data respectively.

The Spot Mobile offerings are also impressive with the $24.99 talk and text plan, or the $39.99/49.99/59.99 plans that offer unlimited talk, text and data. The $10 differences will get you either 500MB, 1GB or 2GB of 4G speed data before throttling kicks in to slow those speeds down.

Simple Mobile rounds out the trio of freebies with your choice of a $40 plan that offers unlimited talk, text and data with the first 500MB at 4G speeds. The next step increases the data to 2.5GB for $50. Spending another $10, or $60 a month, will get you a whopping 4GB of 4G data before being slowed.

This is a limited time offer and supplies are going quickly. If you would like one of these free SIM cards, we suggest visiting www.4gfastdata.com today and grabbing yours. If you want multiple SIM’s you can register as many plans and SIMs as you would like through the PayPal link provided.

Nokia Lumia 520 Hits AT&T For $99.99

For those needing that perfect excuse to ditch their AT&T contract and go with their non-contract GoPhone service, we have the device for you. The new Nokia Lumia 520 launched for their GoPhone/Non-contract plans today for $99.99. This is still an AT&T locked device, but you can easily download the APN settings for any carrier and use the device with a Red Pocket Mobile, Net10 or Straight Talk SIM - just make sure that you have the AT&T version of the SIM on the latter two.

The Lumia 520 features a 4" screen, a 5MP camera (no flash), 8GB internal memory and an expansion slot for MicroSD cards. The 520 also features full offline mapping for use without data as a navigational unit, a super-sensitive touch screen and an HSPA+21 radio for high speed downloads.

The package is designed to work out of the box with the AT&T GoPhone Prepaid system which includes unlimited talk, text and 2GB of data for $60. If you purchase your monthly refills from www.getsmartphones.info you can snag those refills for $57. Of course, I prefer the flexibility of Red Pocket Mobile and their $59.99 Max plan that includes the unlimited talk, text and 2GB of data, plus 200 international rollover minutes. The international calling credit may not be something you need, but it sure is a nice bonus!

You can grab your Lumia 520 at most AT&T locations, online or from many Microsoft retail locations as well.

Nokia Glance Screen - Coming Or Not?

I've been watching the rumors on this one for a while now, and still can't tell you IF your Lumia will see this update or not. The Nokia page found here: http://www.nokia.com/mea-en/support/faq/?action=singleTopic&topic=FA141614 states that all Lumia devices except for the 52x series will see the GDR2/Amber update which will enable the Glance feature that currently only 925 users are enjoying.

Glance is Nokia's non-lock, lock screen for use at night, or when you just don't want your phone to sleep completely. The screen will display a clock, a battery indicator and the amazing double tap to wake feature. Most of this is superficial at best, but remember, the sources being quoted are from Europe, so 810 owners should take note that the step-brother of the 82x series was only available here.

Now, Nokia does directly point to the 520 and 521 as not getting the update, most likely due to the lower quality display hardware, so maybe the 810 is being lumped in with the others that are getting it. Either way, I'll believe it when my phone says "update available" and not before then.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
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Is GRD2 Coming To The Lumia 810?

Most of the readers of my blog know that I am a proud owner of a Lumia 810 running on Spot Mobile. I love my phone and I love my service. This doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like a few tweaks done to the phone though. For the past 5 months, I’ve watched, just like every other 810 owner, as updates for the 920 came and went… Then the 820… Then another for the 920… When would we get our chance?

Trying to pry information from my T-Mobile friends and my Nokia friends was awkward at best. Most of them had no information to give, or the information they had was not good news. News like the 1308 update was deemed not acceptable by T-Mobile (and after all the connectivity problems people had with the 920’s I can see why.) But after months of waiting, there may be a silver lining to the update cloud.

After months of missing out, the next major Windows Phone update is scheduled to roll out in August. The GDR2/Amber update is supposed to hit devices in August. According to some sources, T-Mobile has this update in hand and is testing it for my beloved 810. Again, there isn’t much in an update that interests me personally, but to solidly know that T-Mobile will support this device for more than 3 months makes me happy.

Now, as far as the actual release dates, everyone is playing that very close to the vest. I am expecting an world wide rollout to every compatible device around the same time. Of course, that could create an overload so a more sectioned rollout might be scheduled instead. In the mean time, check back often for any new information on the GDR2 update and when it might be coming to a Windows Phone near you,

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
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Print Those Cell Photos For Free With FreePrints

Do you take a ton of photos with that gorgeous camera on your Windows Phone? If so, check out FreePrints in the Windows Phone Store. The App quickly allows you to select images from your device, upload them and have prints mailed to you in a few days.

The best part of FreePrints is the price tag of the images, which is free. There is a modest shipping charge that brings an order of 70 prints to $8.99, but it still works out to just $.13 a print! The free offer is limited to 85 prints a month, but you can earn bonus prints by using a referral code like, rlunsford1 when signing up.

FreePrints works great on my Lumia 810, so try it out on your Windows Phone today and let me know how you like it in the comments below and don't forget to use code rlunsford1 when signing up for those free bonus prints.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
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Gooroovster Brings Google Music To Windows Phone

One of the biggest bummers for those moving from Android to Windows Phone is the loss of some key Google services. One of these for me was Google Music. I had uploaded my entire MP3 collection when Google was offering the service for my HTC Evo and always loved the fact that my library was with me.

Of course, when I moved to Windows Phone, I was able to download and transfer music via Zune. Windows Phone 8 ended up removing the Zune step and now I could just drag and drop my collection right on mu SD card in my Lumia 810. But even that ran into a few problems when I forgot to copy an album or ran low on SD Card space, so step back into streaming music once again my friends!

Gooroovster is a beautiful Google Music player that will access your Google Music account online and let you stream and download any tracks and playlists you have stored on the Google servers. This program is a must have for any Android transfer and makes the decision a bit easier for those that are thinking about the move.

If you have used the standard Music player on Windows Phone, Gooroovster behaves the same way. If you haven't, the controls are simple enough that you should have them mastered in about 10 minutes tops.

My experience with Gooroovster was perfect. The tracks and playlists from my Toshiba Thrive appeared in seconds. Tracks played smoothly and they downloaded to the system memory without a hitch. I only wish they had built in download to SD card as an option.

Gooroovster is available right now for free buy normally runs $.99. It is well worth the download if you miss the deal. So, get over to the Store and snag it while you can!

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
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Game Review: Super Golf Land

In my ever continuing effort to find great ways to kill that spare time on your Windows Phone, I found myself drifting down the games list to find Super Golf Land. Random Salad Games did a pretty good job of throwing together a golf game and a puzzle game into one entertaining package.

The advertising sponsored title pits your aim and power against terrific puzzle style golf holes. The goal of the game is the same as golf itself, to finish under par. The play itself is rather simple, but the further you go, the challenge increases. For example the first time I fired it up, I eagled the first hole. I then posted a brilliant 8 on the next hole... Lesson learned, take your time and don't get too excited.

You can download Super Golf Land right now in the Windows Phone Store and get hacking before that round starts in the morning.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
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Facebook Leaves Beta, Gets V. 5.0 Tag

I love new versions and updates to my favorite Apps, which makes today a great day since my Facebook Beta App has now been replaced by the official 5.0 release. Not much has changed between the beta and 5.0, but the entire App seems a bit smoother and the experience is just a touch faster than the previous, official release.

If you are a Facebook user that isn’t just using the People Tile to live your social network life, check out the new version that is available in the Windows Phone Store now.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 810
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