Perhaps the biggest “hit” for Huawei was the moment when Google stated that to-be-release Huawei smartphones would be blocked from accessing the Google Play store. While this doesn’t affect the Chinese market where Google is censored and banned, these steps drastically affect Huawei’s international sales and reach. 

Not having access to Google products makes Huawei phones and other products almost useless outside of China. Among the apps that are affected are..

• Gmail
• Google Maps
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Google Photos

This does not include the thousands of apps that are available exclusively through Google Play. Other phone platforms like the Amazon FireOS and the Fire Phone failed miserably because of a lack of easily downloadable apps. 

Currently though, Huawei phones and all existing kit can access Google Play. But what next?

Well, now Huawei have announced something pretty big. They’ve unveiled their own operating system that can run phones, computers and other smart devices. The operating system will be called “HarmonyOS” and will be seen initially on smart appliances, cars and virtual reality devices. They’re also said to be “considering” using it on the Huawei Mate 30.

The company also stated that apps such as Gmail, Facebook and WhatsApp could be transferred into HarmonyOS with only a small amount of work.

However, Huawei were keen to point out that it was not their preferred option. They wanted to continue using Android and, although they currently have a temporary reprieve, this expires shortly and means that access to Google Play would cease.

European and American customers alike will not purchase Huawei tablets and smartphones if they do not have access to the basic apps that most of us have now grown to rely on. The latest Huawei news indicates that people may not easily jump to an unknown and new OS either.

Instead, research shows that customers will instead decide to shop elsewhere, buying from Apple and Samsung. Customers may also opt for Huawei competitors such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Asus and Oppo. Each of these companies have made incredible technological strides in phone innovation. Motorized cameras and notch-less displays are just some of the newest features from these companies. 

The US ban on Huawei extends beyond smartphones though. American companies cannot supply the company with software or hardware. The ban, as we mentioned before, has already affected the launch of the new MateBook. In fact, Huawei CEO, Richard Yu, indicated that the tablet may be scrapped indefinitely due to being blacklisted by the United States. While Huawei is not a big player in the laptop and tablet market, the company had aspirations to become a massive played in the market. To date, their products have been reliable and high quality.

Since the US ban, Huawei international sales have dropped by about 40%, with expected revenue losses in the billions over the next few years. Australia, Japan, and New Zealand have already blocked the tech company due to cybersecurity concerns and the company’s close ties to the Chinese government. 

The US government’s resolve to ban Huawei may hinge entirely on future US and China trade agreements. Rumours of the Trump administration compromising on its Huawei ban have prompted Senator Mitt Romney to submit an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act regarding the tech company delineating specific conditions that must be met before removing the ban on Huawei. 

The post Will Huawei’s woes alter our buying habits? is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The short version was that, whilst the GUI and the experience was great, developers were almost having to be paid to develop for the platform. In the end, with the amount of apps and updates reducing, even huge fans of the platform decided to move elsewhere.

It’s a shame if I’m honest. The site was created off the back of the whole “Microsoft Smartphone” creation, and I really didn’t want to touch an Android phone at one point. Now though, it’s definitely, positively, absolutely dead. In a recent update from the company, Microsoft are even telling people to go and buy an iPhone or an Android phone..

What should Windows 10 Mobile customers do now?

With the Windows 10 Mobile OS end of support, we recommend that customers move to a supported Android or iOS device. Microsoft’s mission statement to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, compels us to support our Mobile apps on those platforms and devices.

So yes. There’s no doubt any more. It’s dead. It has ceased to be. It has expired and gone to meet it’s maker. It’s a stiff! Bereft of life.

Got one? Yep, your next phone needs to be something else.

Nonetheless, your old windows mobile phone can still be used for operating less resource-intensive web based software applications, such as cloud CMMS systems, which will still work well with windows phone, like the facility maintenance software by Fincio Systems. You can provide your maintenance management staff with these low-cost used Windows mobile phones to access this less resource intensive application and you will save a lot of money.

The post Windows Mobile – Yep, still dead. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

I’ll tell it like it is with the Windows Phone platform. It’s the same with any OS I write about. The moment that Microsoft effectively bribed developers to write apps for their handests and the huge difference in the choice of apps compared to Android and iOS meant that the road was already going to be long and hard. However, it was a smooth and intuitive operating system. It was relatively free of bugs and, with the Nokia branding and camera technology on some handsets, there was a huge potential.

However, it all slipped through the fingers of Microsoft, and now they’re even removing their own apps from the platform Microsoft will, next month, drop support for the Windows Phone apps for Teams, Yammer, and Skype for Business.

It’s all a bit quick and it means that, even if you’re a true Microsoft fan and you’re comfortable with a faff and largely clutter-free phone, you’re not going to be able to download any of these apps.

Microsoft stated that Skype for Business and Yammer “may continue to work, but we can’t provide any guarantees”. Microsoft Teams “will no longer work, and users will receive an error message when they try to connect”.

More details can be found on this Microsoft support page.

What’s perhaps most annoying about this is the fact that the there’s still more than a few Windows Phones being used by businesses, and the removal of these apps could effectively force them to Android or iPhone.

The post Windows Phone support for Teams, Yammer and Skype for Business to be dropped is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

So, after some faffing we found that the early Microsoft Smartphones and Pocket PC’s could play MP3 and WAV ringtones. You just had to copy the file across to the phone, then set the text / email / ringtone to suit. The downloads section went crazy, an we had audio clips from South Park, Knight Rider, The Simpsons and so on.

It all started with a hideous Microsoft Frontpage creation before I installed a PHP download script thingy. It all seemed a bit of fun but then, while working in Lancashire, I popped into a corner shop and my phone started ringing with some crazy ringtone. I forgot exactly what it was, but it was from this very site. Anyhoo, the lad serving me said something along the lines of…

Hey great ringtone. You know, if you want more of those there’s this site called Coolsmartphone.com…

I was gob-smacked. This was in 2004 or 2005. Way before social media and everyone having the internet in the palm of their hands.

Sadly the download section got a bit too large in the end, and after a number of copyright notices came in from various places I basically had to bin it.

Sooooooooooooooo……………….. if you want a ringtone for your phone, have a look in the BBC Sound Effects archive instead. There’s 16,016 sounds in WAV format to download and use as ringtones, email notifications or whatever. Plus, no copyright problems – they can be used for free for “personal, educational or research purposes”.

Head over to the site, do a search and off you go. There’s everything here, from ducks, car horns, laughter to explosions and drums…

The post Ringtones! Lots and lots of ringtones! is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Bit of a mouthful that.

At the last minute they had a change of mind, and it switched to just “Windows Phone 7”.

Here’s how things looked the night before the big launch. There was a lot of hope, but – after waiting another year just to get copy and paste working, I was already starting to get worried. After a couple more reboots, it was all over and a mobile Microsoft OS was consigned to the dustbin.

Now any remaining Windows Phone 7.5 and 8.0 users are seeing their services getting disabled, with notifications, live tile updates and the “Find my phone” feature getting closed down immediately. If that’s you (and, we’re guessing, you’re in a very tiny minority), expect things to not be working right now.

Owners of the slightly newer Windows 10 Mobile OS will not be affected.. yet..

The post Windows Phone – Now even deader than it already was is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Eventually, and after I posted a number of articles detailing the collision course with the iceberg, it smashed into it and went down.

Still though, there was a rumours of a new platform or a new phone. Perhaps a new solution for Microsoft fans wanting a mobile phone with Windows.

Sadly not. Today it’s (finally) official, and there is to be no more Windows mobile operating system.

It’s a double punch too, with plenty of pain for any remaining Windows Mobile / Windows Phone / Windows 10 Mobile fans.

First, the new Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, has admitted that he wasn’t a fan of the route Ballmer was taking. Ballmer strong-armed the purchase of the Nokia mobile division, and Nadella voted “no” when it was put to a vote.

In his new book, Nadella states that it all seemed fruitless…

I did not get why the world needed the third ecosystem in phones, unless we changed the rules… But it was too late to regain the ground we had lost. We were chasing our competitors’ taillights.

Now, Windows 10 chief, Joe Belfiore, has landed the second punch. He’s admitted that the mobile version of Windows is no longer a focus, and he has, just like Bill Gates, switched to Android.

Android and iPhone apps is where the Microsoft mobile direction is now, and it does seem to be serving them better. The idea of “universal” apps, which run on both phones and PC’s, is pretty much dead too.

A set of tweets, responding to queries from concerned customers, states that support for the OS will continue, but Microsoft will no longer build any new features.

The post Windows 10 Mobile – It’s definitely dead now. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

So we all live in a socail media age, and one of the main protagonists of this age is Twitter. Since its inception many years ago, Twitter users have been restricted to getting their musings across in 140 characters. This was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that you had to be concise about your thoughts but, on the flip side, it also gave us ample opportunity to get things disastrously wrong.

In some instances it would be nice to be able to get a bit more detail into a tweet without having to break that train of thought. Now the bods at Twitter have listened, and a select few testers now have 280 characters to tweet with. This has been met with some mixed views from those online. Some people seem to love it some seem to hate it.

A major request, and one which never seems to happen, is for an Edit button to be available. This would save those embarrassing moments where you make a typo. We have all been there!

We would love to hear your thoughts about this so please hit us up on Twitter or comments to let us know were you stand.

The post Twitter full of big, fat tweets…. thoughts? is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

It has been rumoured for a few weeks that a ‘mini’ LG G6 is in the works, I put this in inverted commas because the device is hardly ‘mini’: it is thought to have a rather regularly sized 5.4″ screen! The new device, known as the Q6, has the following specs:

1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm 430 processor

3GB Ram

13MP rear camera

In other words, the screen is marginally smaller than the G6 while the specifications are very much mid-range.  If the photo above is anything to go by though, it’ll have the same profile as the G6, with the same 18:9 aspect ratio and a screen to body ratio of 80%.  LG have sent out an invitation to a device on 11 July, so we should know more soon.

In other news, and to the surprise of probably everyone, it appears that Microsoft is working on a new device.  According to a journalist familiar with Microsoft a new ‘mobile-like’ handset is ‘floating around corporate offices’.  Quite what this means is anybody’s guess but what it apparently is not is the long fabled Surface Phone.  The same journalist says that the device is being developed by the team behind Hololens, the VR bit of Microsoft, and that it is being aimed at the ‘premium’ end of the market.  Too little too late me wonders?

Source: LG; Microsoft 

The post New LG and Windows 10 Mobile handsets on their way is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Thurrott is reporting on this Skype support page which details that the company is about to move away from legacy apps.

If there’s any of you still using the Windows Phone 8 or Windows 8.1 Skype app, it’ll simply die on July 1st. You’ll instead have to get another phone or use the web version.

Although there’s still a hardcore of Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile fans still out there, it’s an ever dwindling group.

Update – Story amended, thanks Steve L

The post Support for Skype to end for Windows Phone users on July 1st is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Much of the blame for Windows Mobile’s failure to take off has always been put on the ‘app gap’, the absence from the platform of key popular applications, although according to Steve Litchfield’s article at All About Windows Phone (allaboutwindowsphone.com), the situation isn’t half as bad as some people make out.

 But certainly Windows 10 Mobile seems to be at a standstill, treading water at a point between having been killed off by Google’s wilful lack of support, and re-emerging as an integrated part of the entire Windows platform – backed up by universal apps that run on any Windows device no matter its size.

Windows Mobile as it currently stands, though, has drawbacks and weaknesses not found in either the Android or iOS ecosystems, both of which have stores where a wealth of applications constantly twinkles with life. Windows Store in contrast is a barren, dusty place where owls hoot and cobwebs drape. All this means there is a type of mobile phone user that should definitely avoid Windows Mobile.

Take photos for instance. Not long ago Microsoft allowed Windows phone users 30GB of free online storage. This comprised 15GB as standard, and an additional 15GB bonus easily obtained by setting the camera roll on a mobile device to use OneDrive for image backup. But in 2015 the free storage was reduced to 5GB, while the 15GB camera roll bonus was discontinued. Bah, humbug, Microsoft.

If you’re a Windows phone user, Google apparently considers you unworthy of attention. It certainly wants you to keep your grubby hands off its own apps and services, nearly all of which are nowhere to be seen on the Windows 10 Mobile platform. This is a shame, because Google Photos is undoubtedly the king of cloud storage for your images.

Google provides unlimited free photo storage through its Photos app, so long as you don’t mind a degree of file compression, one which anyhow doesn’t in normal circumstances affect the quality of your images. Your Gran is hardly going to be complaining that she’s had her pixel count reduced in that picture of her adjusting her dentures on Eastbourne seafront. Needless to say, Google Photos is not available on Windows Mobile, along with all other Google goodies. It just isn’t.

My personal Windows Mobile bugbear is the inferiority of the default maps. Several years ago I took up a job in Cambodia, South-East Asia, and was astonished to find that the country’s map on Windows was practically non-existent, consisting of main roads and a few labels (unlike most other countries in the region it was not available for download either). It looked more like a minor underground transport system than a busy city’s road network.

Now, Cambodia may well be a lightly populated country of little significance to most Europeans, but it receives plenty of tourists each year, most of them admittedly French visitors looking in on an ex-colony, but still. And let’s not forget it has one of the most impressive temples in the world, Angkor Wat.

To add insult to injury, Microsoft phones were heavily promoted in the country’s capital city, Phnom Penh. In fact, when I was there in 2015, a large Nokia store had just undergone transformation into a ‘Microsoft’ outlet, and was selling all the latest Lumias of the time. Yet I’m certain that no salesman would have dared remark that the Lumia 640 was a great phone ‘unless you want to find directions to the next block down the street’. Cheeky? I’d say so.

Returning to the app gap, the Windows platform is not a terribly suitable phone for those looking for romance either. Or at least not if you’re gay. For while Tinder, a dating app for straight people, is at least supported by third party alternatives such as 6tin, there are no options for platforms such as Grindr, one of the most popular gay dating services. Sadly – or indeed happily – any gays going to Cambodia will just have to find partners the old-fashioned way by eyeing up other guys in bars.

And how about Snapchat, that social media phenomenon for the young and wordless who like to transmit quaint pictures of themselves all over the universe? Well, forget it. Snapchat is as missing as an expletive in a monastery on the Windows Mobile platform.  

So, it seems that if you’re a gay photography buff who generates a ton of images to save to the cloud, and who just loves to send out cartoon-emblazoned selfies while on vacation, and you’re going to be navigating the Kingdom of Cambodia for the first time, then leave your Windows phone at home and take an Android device instead. Then you won’t get lost, lonely or frustrated.

The post Stores without apps and cities without streets is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

John Brown got in touch with us because he’d managed to get himself an as-new model but wanted to find the old application unlock file. This would allow more apps to run on his phone and yes, thanks to your help, he’s finally got it.

He also tells me that he’s managed to get the clip-on camera for the SPV too because, back in 2002, we didn’t really have a camera on a smartphone.

The camera, as you can see in the shot above, is a pretty large addition. No flash here folks. Don’t forget, this was powered by a Texas Instruments TI OMAP 710 CPU running at a screaming 132MHz with 16MB of RAM (not GB!) and 32MB of storage (again, not GB!). It also had a 176×220 pixel screen and the phone was over 2cm thick!

Above and below you can see the camera plugged in. It faces backwards and the camera is about as big as the keypad. On the lower shot you’ll notice that it doesn’t quite “gel” with the rear design of the phone, but hey, it was a camera at least. You’d also have to remember to carry the thing around with you if you ever wanted to snap a photo.

For connectivity, you’d get the dizzying heights of GPRS – 96 kbps. 2G!

There was no WiFi and sharing photos online was pretty much a dream. Web pages would crawl onto the screen and every mobile website would be almost completely text-based.

The phone took an SD card and John has found that a 1GB card seems to be the maximum that the phone will accept. The example photo below needed a VERY steady hand as images turn out blurry very easily.

This is the full resolution 640×480 picture

As for that unlock file, if anyone out there wants it, just give us a shout and we’ll put you in touch with John.

Thanks again to John for taking us down memory lane to the phone that started this entire site

If you have any old kit, we’d love to hear from you!

The post The Orange SPV – An update is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The phone had a few foibles. Dust used to get into the earpiece and settle behind the screen, and the paint would peel off. However, the non-touchscreen OS, called Microsoft Smartphone 2002, let you add your own backgrounds and your own ringtones without having to pay any extra. We started offering WAV files with a bit rate which suited the phone plus cropped backgrounds and CAB files for installing file explorers. Compared to the monochrome Nokia handsets of the day, it was a huge leap forward. At last you could customise your phone. You could make it your own. You could create a cool smartphone.

Fast-forward 15 years and we’re still here. Today the touchscreen is the clear favourite, and Microsoft are no longer the king of mobile. Android and the mighty iPhone seem to be pushing any competing mobile OS into the dirt, but one of our readers has decided to hop in a time machine. John Brown has managed to get a completely “as new” and boxed Orange SPV from eBay.

It’s in absolutely mint condition and comes complete with the old charging stand that was supplied. This is way before USB-C, microUSB or even microUSB ports. It didn’t have a camera either, and it was only later on that a clip-on camera became available. Compared to the smartphone cameras of today, it was ultra-low quality.

John is currently on the hunt for the old “app unlock” CAB file and is waiting for that clip-on camera to arrive. He’s also purchased a 512MB SD card (yes, a full-sized SD card) as the phone is unable to handle the modern large-capacity ones.

We’ll be bringing you more on this, but if you can help John with any CAB files or old SPV advice, please do add it to the comments below.

The post In the beginning there was… The Orange SPV is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

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 of iOS and Android). Many thought that this was probably the wrong choice. Since then the “dream” of a Nokia device running Android began. Even Nokia in its last few months, before being taken over by Microsoft in 2014, probably realised this and released the Nokia X. Interestingly the Nokia X came without Google services. However, Microsoft quickly canned the project when the full purchase of Nokia came through in late 2014. Microsoft rebranded the Nokia Lumias as Microsoft Lumias. Nokia was dead….or was it? HMD Global, a Finnish company got the rights in mid-2016 to release Nokia branded phones.

Announcement

Today the company, made up of ex-Nokia executives, announced the Nokia 6. This is a feature packed, 5.5-inch Full HD display device with 2.5D curved glass, Snapdragon 430 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, microSD slot, dual-SIM connectivity, 16MP rear camera, Dolby Stereo speakers, 3000 mAh battery, and a fingerprint sensor. The phone runs Android 7.0 Nougat. The phone looks like similar to the OnePlus 3 and the HTC 10 from the promos. Speaking of the promo, it’s targetted toward a very China-centric audience. This is because, interestingly, HMD have decided to release the Nokia 6 in China first. With half a billion smartphone users, China is a strategically important market for all manufacturers and isn’t as saturated as the western markets with high-end, western manufactured devices.

More phones are on the way, with the brand set to launch six phones under the Nokia name this year. We should hear more about its plans at Mobile World Congress.

Its a very exciting time for Nokia and HMD, it should be an interesting year!

What do you guys think? Sound off in the comments.

The post Its finally here! (sort of) – Nokia Android phone announced is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

One day, after using a Windows laptop to write and create this site for over a decade, my Sony Vaio died. To be fair, I’d killed it. It had travelled around with me and had seen better days. I was still getting email via Outlook and a POP3 account, which didn’t help as the hard drive was constantly being ripped to bits and I was getting more and more email filling up the drive.

A “temporary” solution, so I thought, was to get a £100 Chromebook off eBay. I don’t have a great deal of locally-installed apps, so took the jump from Windows and Outlook to Chromebook and Google Apps, which is now known as “G Suite”.

This “temporary fix” has now been my daily driver for nearly two years. I open the Chromebook, log into the site, get work done, then close it. If an update needs to install, I’ll choose the time, it’ll happen in seconds, reboot and then I’m done.

Anti-virus software isn’t a worry and I’m using cloud storage for everything. Plus, this is an OS that can run on an ARM processor.

Now, if you head back to four years ago, Microsoft had an OS which ran on an ARM processor too. It was confusing as hell. Dubbed “Windows RT” it was Windows, but not-quite-Windows and tried to push people into touch apps. That alone was a good idea, but it looked a lot like the “normal” Windows and people assumed it would do everything that Windows could do. Sadly no. Windows RT didn’t run those traditional desktop apps, even though there was a desktop mode stacked full of familiar Windows utilities.

Let’s not dress this up. It failed. Big time.

Now though, Windows is back on ARM. Windows 10 will soon emulate those traditional apps, meaning that you can hopefully get a cheaper ARM-powered device running all the familiar Windows stuff. Qualcomm will be kicking things off, with the Snapdragon 835 heading to Windows 10 laptops. ARM on Windows 10 will ensure that you will have that familiar look and feel, and there’ll be no confusion. Apps will just.. work.. but battery life will be far better.

But wait, there’s another advantage, and in essence it’s killed the “Windows Phone” we always knew. It could also completely change the way that phones are viewed. Sure, right now you can do a lot of things on your phone. You can do your banking and you can post blog updates like I’m doing now. Not only that, but if you’ve set it up, you can make a Remote Desktop connection to a “standard” PC and run desktop apps over a WiFi or other data connection. However, where the future Windows 10 phones could shine is by running full desktop apps. No “bridge” or data connection needed, they’d run on your phone just as they would on a PC.

So, why call it “Windows 10 Mobile” at all? Surely it’ll now just be Windows 10, just formatted for a smaller screen. Provided that they can get the data entry and screen resizing sorted, it could be one very powerful product. Plus, even if the traditional “Microsoft Phone” doesn’t return, the ARM processors and lower price-points could attract those of us who’ve moved to Chromebooks recently, and give Microsoft a much-needed boost,

The post Windows 10 Mobile on ARM is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The interface seems clean and no-nonsense, taking cues from its voice-calling feature. In a welcome feature, WhatsApp allows full end-to-end encryption, making it technically impossible for the company or government authorities to surveil the calls. WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum said in an interview with Reuters, that the video calling will be rolled out to 180 countries within hours. Koum stated…

We obviously try to be in tune with what our users want.

We’re obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones.

Multiple sources over the pond in Trump-land  America report that they are starting to see the latest update to the platform already. It hasn’t yet rolled out to the UK, but we anticipate it isn’t going to be long before it hits these shores.  In an increasingly worrying and uncertain political landscape, this is one feature which will assuage the concerns of many who are wary of government surveillance. Googles Allo, which as launched a few months ago as a WhatsApp competitor, has already come under criticism from Edward Snowden for monitoring conversations.

Have you seen the feature yet? How do you like it? Sound off in the comments

The post Get your make-up on! WhatsApp adds video calling is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Well, this is about all I need to hear to be honest. Microsoft are effectively washing their hands of remaining Lumia users. Today a customer care company called B2X has announced that they will be taking over customer care responsibilities for all Microsoft mobile devices.

That’s all devices. Lumia handsets and feature phones made by Microsoft. The entire shooting match, and it begins pretty much immediately too..

B2X serves as Microsoft’s primary aftersales partner and provides customer support and device repair services for the Lumia and feature phones, starting in October.

The company will be dealing with repairs and customer support in a global capacity, plus there’ll be a new B2X support app available to download from the middle of this month. This will let you talk to call centre staff live and you can perform diagnostics too.

The company already provides support for some other mobile brands including Apple, Samsung and Lenovo.

If you bought your Lumia less than 6 months ago you’ll be able to buy into a “SMARTPROTECT Premium” service which extends the Microsoft warranty and adds smartphone insurance. .

If you have any questions you can head to www.b2x.com/microsoftphonesupport for help. The Microsoft support website will be redirecting to the B2X site too.

So Microsoft isn’t making phones running on their own mobile operating system. Neither is anyone else by the looks of it, an Microsoft have washed their hands of existing customers. A sad end.

See ya!

The post Microsoft offloads mobile support to B2X. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

During the Canalys Channel Forum Lenovo’s COO, Gianfranco Lanci, has stated that his company will not be releasing or working on any Windows 10 Mobile handsets. The reason? He doubts the commitment of Microsoft to the smartphone platform.

I don’t see the need to introduce a Windows Phone and I am not convinced Microsoft is supporting the phone for the future.

Whilst rumours of a new Surface phone refuse to die, the continued failure of Microsoft mobile hardware including smartphones and wearables isn’t sending the right signals.

The post No Windows 10 phones from Lenovo is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Now things are on the move again, with the Lumia brand getting taken down in favour of “Microsoft Mobile”. This is more in keeping with their mobility efforts in the software arena following the protracted death of Windows Phone and Windows Mobile phones.

The @LumiaHelp Twitter update today shoves people across to a @MicrosoftHelps account, which appears to be a generic catch-all account for anything Microsoft related.

An FAQ also reveals that localised Microsoft Lumia and Mobile accounts are being binned off in favour of international accounts.

The post Microsoft close Lumia Twitter accounts is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The product support page states that, if you’re still intent on using a video call, the native Skype client for Windows Phone and won’t be supported much longer and you’ll have to use Web Skype instead.

The several dozen Windows Phone customers remaining won’t be alone though, as those using Android 4.02 or older and iOS 7 will have the app chopped too. A statement on their FAQ section reads…

While support will no longer be available from October 2016, the Skype app .. will continue to work (possibly with some limitations) until early 2017, when we finish moving Skype calling to the cloud.

Whilst we understand that the web version of Skype is good (and it now works on Chromebook, which is great), it’s still sad to see the demise of a proper app and, as I’ve said before, it’s sad to see Microsoft not bothering to develop or continue to support their own mobile OS.

The post Skype app to be killed off for Windows Phone owners is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

It seems like it’ll still work, but it won’t be updated. Who owns Skype? Oh, that’s right. Microsoft.

Gah

While I’m here, is it just me? Are many of you using Skype? On the iPhone I do actually like the FaceTime integration and kinda wish it was baked into Android by default.

The post Skype. Remember that Windows Phone users? is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Although the Windows Phone OS remains a firm favourite amongst the highly paid staff at Coolsmartphone Towers, very few of us use the device regularly.  Indeed, Leigh has written a number of articles recently on the death of Windows Phone.  Microsoft seems to be prepared to have one last throw of the dice in attempting to merge the very successful Surface range with the very unsuccessful mobile range.  The Surface Phone has long been rumoured, but scant evidence that it actually exists has ever appeared.  Microsoft has recently renewed a patent it originally took out in 2009, and last renewed in 2012.  The patent itself is for a specially constructed case that includes not just a keyboard but a mouse too.  This would certainly appeal to some people, possibly those mourning the demise of BlackBerry and its physical keyboards.  It would also appeal to the business market, a sector that Microsoft has been keen to attract.  A mock-up of how this might look is below:

Of course there might not be anything to the patent being renewed.  To my mind the hardware isn’t really the problem, as nice as this handset looks, but unless Microsoft can sort out the app situation I simply don’t see any future for the OS.  Would this be enough to tempt readers to Windows Phone?

Source: MSPowerUser

The post Microsoft Surface Phone might have a keyboard case is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Earlier this week Paypal announced on their site that they would be ending support for their app on Blackberrys, Windows Phone and Amazon Fire devices. The announcement states:

For Windows Phone users, we will sunset the current version of the PayPal app on June 30. However, Windows Phone users can still access PayPal through our mobile web experience on Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge browsers. Outlook.com users can also use the PayPal add-in to send money directly from their inbox.

If you are an Amazon Fire or Blackberry user, we will be discontinuing the PayPal app on June 30, after which you will no longer be able to use the app. However, customers on these devices can still log into PayPal on these phones via our mobile web experience. Blackberry users can also continue to use the BBM app to send peer-to-peer payments via PayPal.

Yet more proof (if any was needed) that both kinds of devices are very much heading the way of the dinosaurs. This means that they will only maintain two apps out in the world of mobiles and even then, only on handsets with relatively up-to-date software: Android devices running OS 4.03 or greater and Apple devices running iOS 8.1 or higher: iPhone 4S or greater, iPad 2 or greater, and iPod Touch 5th gen or greater. The full statement can be found here.

This started me thinking about why Paypal (indeed any bank or credit card provider either) actually bother with an app on ‘any’ platform? It must be considered essentially a marketing exercise, to keep their image of relevancy and cool as there’s nothing you can do in the app you can’t do on their site. This is where I think things are changing. During Google I/O this year we heard that Google will be pioneering Android Instant App, a way of allowing people to access app content without actually having the app installed. This means if someone sends a link to something that could be viewed in an app you don’t have installed, Android will temporarily download just the modules of the app required to display that content. This will mean you can essentially get to the content without being restricted by your list of apps which is an awesome idea and is as it should be. Heres a video explaining this a bit more clearly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cosqlfqrpFA

So why-oh-why do banks, credit card companies and PayPal maintain apps when all they really need is an efficient, good looking website with specially designed for mobiles section? To be honest I truly believe that we are seeing the start of a bit of a revolution in mobile applications as we know them. I am more than happy to use a mobile version of a website as Chrome can remember all my passwords and it frees up app space on my phone. Win-win.  This is the direction that Paypal are heading in I am excited to see where this leads as it is essentially about getting us better website design and focusing more on how we use our devices.

So what do you think, does the above decision dramatically affect you? So you use the Paypal apps on any of these devices? Do you use ‘any’ banking apps at all or are they just a waste of space on your phone as the mobile sites are good enough? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Paypal kills Blackberry, Windows Phone and Amazon Fire apps and are right to do so! is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

It’s an explosive and spectacularly bad end to the Microsoft handset ambitions, with the previous $7.6bn write-off now getting an additional $1bn added to it in costs and severance pay.

Microsoft originally paid $7.2 billion for the Nokia mobile business but, just 15 months later, announced a $7.6 billion “adjustment”. They’ve recently sold off the feature phone biz and their smartphones now only represent a 0.7% market share.

The largest write-off in Microsoft history just got bigger. Meanwhile Terry Myerson, head of Windows and Devices, sent an email out to remaining staff championing the other areas of the business and stating…

We will continue to update and support our current Lumia and OEM partner phones, and develop great new devices.. we’re scaling back, but we’re not out.

No. No, no Terry. I beg to differ. Ask any new player in the mobile industry. It’s incredibly difficult to enter such a crowded market. You can’t just sit around and have another go “a bit later”. You are out.

He appears to give no real clues as to why they failed…

When I look back on our journey in mobility, we’ve done hard work and had great ideas, but have not always had the alignment needed across the company to make an impact.

The post Microsoft off-load nearly 2000 staff as the smartphone adventure ends is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Acer’s newest Windows phone is about to hit the prime time, and I have been able to have a bit of a play around with it.

First off lets have a look at the unboxing video..

The phone feels good in the hand due to its slightly curved design. It fits very well. I would have preferred the back to made out of metal as this is a premium-priced phone, but I can forgive this as the Nokia 950 and 950 XL are also made of plastic. One area where it differs from the Microsoft phones is the fact that the back cover is not removable on the Jade. This in turn also means that the battery is non-removable as well. To access the SIM card slots and memory card you need to use the included pin to push out the metal drawers housing the respective cards.

There’s a slightly better feel of build quality and it does not have the same creaking back of the 950XL.

Specifications-wise we have got some good on-board kit. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 808 SoC and has 3GB of RAM with 32GB of on-board memory. The battery is rated at 2800mAh and given that Windows 10 Mobile sips at the battery (at least on the current version) this should get you through most of a working day and maybe even into the next.

The screen itself is a 5.5″ 1080p with a PPI of 401 with 2.5D glass which curves round to meet the curved rear. This makes the whole phone feel like a streamlined pebble. We also find that the screen is vibrant and clear – as is the case with most AMOLED displays these days.

It of course supports the new headline feature – Continuum. This is via a USB Type-C port that will allow power and display port simultaneously. This is done by means of a dock which was not available for me to test on this occasion. The dock will have an input for up to 3 USB devices and will support hard drives, flash drives and wireless mouse/keyboard receivers etc. It will also have an audio output so that you can really utilize the big screen experience in all it’s glory.

As for the camera the Jade is well served with the inclusion of a 21 megapixel shooter with f/2.2 as an aperture on the back. Up front we find an 8 megapixel unit, again with the same aperture levels. Both cameras will record at 1080p at 30fps. This makes the front one ideal for using the embedded Skype video calling service.  

The back will actually go up to 2K resolution if required. Again not quite the 4K of the 950 family but still nice to have on board.

We also have the usual other camera attributes that you would expect on a modern smartphone camera like geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR and panorama. These features are all available to you via the new Microsoft camera app which takes a lot of the strengths from the Lumia cameras of old. I am a huge fan of this camera UI and I wish we could have this same system on a mainstream Android phone.

Apart from the software which we are very familiar with from the Lumia 950XL review, not much else here is different. All the inbuilt apps will work in exactly the same way and will appear in the same way. This is one of the things that I love about the Windows 10 platform as a whole.

The device I was testing was a prototype and as a result I was not able to test it much further than the basic un-boxing and brief overview displayed in the video above. Once the phone gets its final release I hope to get given a full review unit which would then allow me to put it through its paces properly – including testing Continuum.

The phone will be coming into stores very soon, so if you want a viable alternative to the Lumia 950’s then it is worth checking out.

The suggested retail price is going to be around £429.99 for phone standalone and £479.99 for phone and dock kit.

The post Acer Jade Primo – Unboxing and first impressions is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Wait though, because Nokia have just reached an agreement with Microsoft to get the Nokia brand back onto phones. The announcement states…

Nokia has announced plans that will see the Nokia brand return to the mobile phone and tablet markets on a global basis. Under a strategic agreement covering branding rights and intellectual property licensing, Nokia Technologies will grant HMD global Oy (HMD), a newly founded company based in Finland, an exclusive global license [1] to create Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets for the next ten years.

HMD has been founded to provide a focused, independent home for a full range of Nokia-branded feature phones, smartphones and tablets. To complete its portfolio of Nokia branding rights, HMD announced today that it has conditionally agreed to acquire from Microsoft the rights to use the Nokia brand on feature phones, and certain related design rights.

Yes, feature phones with the Nokia name are set to return. It might be a little late in the game for some, but the feature phones are still going to be wanted by part of the market and the Nokia brand is still well known – even if it’s had an interesting ride these past few years.

Oh, and by the way, Nokia is going to license its brand to Foxconn to build Android phones.

Yes, you read that right.

There’s more though, and this is nothing short of a disaster. A similar announcement by Microsoft had a rather interesting line which reads..

Microsoft will continue to develop Windows 10 Mobile and support Lumia phones such as the Lumia 650, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, and phones from OEM partners like Acer, Alcatel, HP, Trinity and VAIO.

Let’s break that down.

– Microsoft will “continue to develop Windows 10 Mobile”. Cool. Good to hear.
– Microsoft will “support Lumia phones such as the Lumia 650, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL”.
– Microsoft will also support phones from OEM partners.

Hmm.. something missing though. There’s something missing that you’d expect to see in a press release like this. You’d expect to see a commitment to future Lumia handsets. You’d expect to see a positive statement about the future of Windows 10 Mobile and the many handsets that’ll be running it.

No news of the Lumia brand and what’s next? Nothing?

The media have already asked for clarification on the future of the Lumia naming and Microsoft have responded by saying that they had nothing further to add to the statement

It’s just yet more evidence, in my mind at least, that Microsoft on a mobile, as I’ve said before, is dead. Lumia is dead and the feature phone business has been sold off to Foxconn and a Finnish startup. It’s al very grim reading. That Nokia brand has been sold for $350 million. Microsoft bought the Nokia phone business for $7.2 billion just two years ago..

$7.2 billion. In the bin.

Honestly, I’m speechless. I’ve followed Microsoft Smartphone, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile. I’ve written about them for about 14 years. It has sunk. It’s smashed into a massive iceberg. The lifeboats have come out, and all the apps are now sailing onto Android and iOS instead.

Meanwhile, we get to say hello again to Nokia.

When does the movie come out?

The post Goodbye Nokia. Goodbye Lumia. Hello Again Nokia. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

I’ve called it the death of Windows Phone. We knew it was losing market share but then things started getting worse. In March it was all over for me. Yes, the OS is good. Yes, the phones are good, but there was a lack of love from Microsoft. A lack of support from developers and quiet handset releases. Things were going wrong.

Now Kantar Worldpanel are back again with their market share figures and it’s yet more grim reading. Big declines for Windows Phone – some countries have seen the OS lose 9% share. Windows 10 Mobile seems to have done nothing to help.

In France the Q1 2015 market share figures for Windows Phone were 14.1%. Pretty respectable that. Hard won and close to major players. Fast forward to Q1 2016 and that market share is just 5%.

Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director for Kantar Worldpanel, stated..

For those switching from Windows, Android has offered a better user experience, with a variety of brands and models across a multitude of price points.

In Italy and France, the strongest Windows Phone markets for a time, nearly 10% of Windows mobile users moved to Android in the three months ending March 2016. What’s more, they opted for brands like Huawei, Wiko, and Asus, featuring mid-range devices that represent good value for the money.

The majority of countries within the report show big drops too.

The post Windows Phone continues to fade away is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

That’s be insane. You’d think that the manufacturer had totally lost the plot. You’d think that they were in trouble or perhaps just… plain bonkers.

This is exactly what Microsoft is doing in America with the Lumia 950 XL. Buy it and you’ll get a Lumia 950 … for free. Two for the price of one. Check the first line in the image below..

Here in the UK there’s no such deal, but how do we read this exactly?

The pessimist would say that Microsoft is clearing inventory. The pessimist would say that these phones have only been available for less than six months and this smells of desperation. Just 2.3 million Lumia handsets sold in the last quarter and the Lumia 650 could be the last unit. Bad times.

The optimist would say that it’s just a good deal. Perhaps a way to re-ignite interest in the Windows mobile platform.

However, I’d have to doubt that school of thought. Microsoft themselves have told us that the platform isn’t their focus this year, and Microsoft seem to be hell-bent on pushing their mobile services into more popular mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS. You’ll certainly be seeing the Microsoft name on future mobile handsets, but on the inside – not the outside.

The post Buy a mobile phone and get a free.. mobile phone! is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The downward spiral of the mobile OS appears now to be accelerating. It’s only a few weeks since we saw the last market share figures, courtesy of Kantar. Now Microsoft themselves have published their quarterly earnings and, like the recently announced Google figures, things are looking weaker than expected overall. In terms of mobile devices though, it’s painful reading. Microsoft are seeing their marginal market share die off with speed.

The total device revenue is down 9%, with a massive 46% drop in phone revenue.

Putting that into perspective, let’s go back 12 months. Microsoft shifted 8.6 million Lumia handsets in the 2015 quarter.

This year, just 2.3 million.

That’s a massive 73% drop.

Drink that in for a minute.

How many other companies make Windows Phones or Microsoft 10 phones in any real quantities? Microsoft are the major driver of Microsoft phones, and they’ve just seen a 73% drop in Lumia sales.

Here in Europe the market share was growing in certain areas and reaching a quite respectable set of figures, but things are now firmly in reverse.

As for other areas of the business, there was some slightly better news. Surface revenue is up 56%, Xbox Live users are up year-on-year to 46 million and search revenue grew 18%.

Goodbye Windows Phone. Goodbye to a Microsoft OS on your smartphone.

Microsoft, however, still faces other challenges. They can no longer rely on desktop computers, as home users in particular abandon the traditional PC and laptop in favour of tablets and phones – areas where the company is by no means a big player.

The post The death of Windows Phone. Market share sinks further. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Sadly the figures aren’t great. They’re pretty terrible in fact. Even in countries where Windows phones have been quite strong. The data shows that the Microsoft mobile OS is down pretty much everywhere.

Here in Europe the OS saw a 7.7% drop in share during the three months to period ending in February. It’s fallen from 14.4% to just 6.7%. Over in France it dropped from a 14.2% share to 7.3%, in Spain it’s dived from 2.9% to 0.9% and Germany saw it drop by 1.9%.

Recently Microsoft admitted that Windows phones aren’t going to be a priority this year, and these market share figures will be a disappointment for even the most ardent fans.

Overall, in the “EU5” region Windows Phone dropped by 4.2% from 10.1%.

Meanwhile in the USA it dropped from 4.8% to 2.2%.

The OS, on mobile phone, is dying off in my opinion, with Microsoft instead producing their mobile experience for other handsets with Microsoft cloud solutions and apps.

The post Windows Phone losing market share is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

So what does the P9 bring to the table?Firstly we have a gorgeous design and  Huawei were not afraid of going head-to-head with major players. Throughout the rather lengthy launch it was compared to the iPhone 6s and the Galaxy S7. The camera, or should we say cameras, also got compared heavily with the bigger competitors. The shooters are a result of a partnership with Lucia. The camera also has the Lecia shutter sound which is just awesome! Then, the last bit of news is that all of the UK networks will be carrying the phone – albeit in specific colours. More on that later.  

Let’s have a look at the specs of the two devices

Specs
Display P9 5.2-inch IPS LCD, 1920×1080, P9 Plus 5.5-inch Super AMOLED, 1920×1080
Processor Kirin 955 octacore 4xA72 + 4xA53
Storage/RAM P9 32GB/3GB or 64GB/4GB, P9 Plus 64GB/4GB
OS Android 6.0 with EMUI 4.1
Rear cameras Dual 12MP (monochrome + color)
1.76-micron pixel equivalent
Leica certification
Front camera 8MP
Connection USB-C
SIM/SD Dual SIM in Asia, Single SIM with microSD (128GB) in Europe
Battery P9 3000 mAh, P9 Plus 3400 mAh
Dimensions P9 145 x 70.9 x 6.95mm,P9 Plus: 152.3 x 75.3 x 6.98 mm
Weight P9 144g, P9 Plus 162g
Security Fingerprint
Price P9: £499, P9 Plus: £549
Other Infrared, stereo speakers

These are definitely high-end devices but the P9 for £499 and the P9 Plus for £549? That’s certainly not too painful. 

Both the phones will be working off USB-C for power with the P9 Plus offering dual-IC Rapid Charge. This gives users six hours of talk time after a 10-minute charge. The P9 however will provide five hours talk time from a 10 minute charge. The P9 Plus will also feature Huawei’s “force touch” technology which we first saw on the Mate S back in September last year. 

As I mentioned above these phones will be arriving on our shores later this month across all the main networks…

• CPW – Mystic Silver, Titanium Grey
• EE – Titanium Grey
• O2 – Titanium Grey
• Three – Mystic Silver, Titanium Grey
• Vodafone – Mystic Silver, Titanium Grey

That is for the P9, the P9 Plus however will be an exclusive to Vodafone with them offering it from mid May starting on a £9 per month contract! I presume that there will be a steep one off payment for that deal though. 

The P9 will be available SIM free through the  Huawei vMall as of mid-April for £449 – that’s for the 3GB 32GB version. We don’t have the pricing of the 4GB 64Gab version yet (our men on the ground are asking).

The P9 will also come as an exclusive 64GB model to with a Haze Gold finish which is meant to be quite special.

The 64GB version of the P9 comes in a stunning and unique Haze Gold finish, setting new industry standards in industrial design, with the use of techniques including brushed hairlines and metal polishing at micron-level precision to create a translucent metal surface.

That is it for now guys. We will have some more info and a hands-on with the phones very soon once our boys have fought though the throngs of people at the event to to get to the phones.

We were given the following prices at the event..

P9
3GB + 32 GB €599
4GB + 64 GB €649

P9 Plus
4GB + 64 GB €749

The devices will be available from April 16th across Europe.

The post Huawei announce the P9 and P9 Plus is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The response to this post will be predictable, but I’ve delayed this long enough and it’s time to put my feelings into words.

This site was created off the back of my first Microsoft Smartphone some 14 years ago. That phone was the Orange SPV and it was light-years ahead of other handsets at the time. Yes, it had faults, and I tried to post workarounds right here on a daily basis. However, at the time it was a phone with a colour screen, custom uploadable ringtones and backdrops you could change without paying for the privilege. People were still using monochrome screens with “Snake” as the only game and polyphonic ringtones that they had to grab via premium-rate phone lines.

As the years went by I was lucky enough to have Microsoft read what I wrote here on Coolsmartphone. They invited me to Redmond and I fed back the ideas, thoughts and recommendations that you guys were emailing me about the Pocket PC and Smartphone 2002 devices. I remember the very first year, when they were completely puzzled as to why people wanted to alter the backdrop on the Orange SPV. They didn’t see why people wanted to customise their phones, but they listened, and further handsets appeared with more functionality. We saw gradual improvements and then Windows Mobile handsets grew in popularity. Those phones were in every office in the land – email arrived via Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft had the business world wrapped up. They were confident and strong.

Then, as I attended every year, things seems to slow. The iPhone failed to create any change or worry from the Microsoft. Even though the iPhone made finger-driven devices “the norm”, Microsoft still persisted with increasingly fiddly stylus-driven UI’s on the Windows Mobile devices. As the classic numeric-keyed smartphones began to die off, the larger-screened touch-based GUI’s were tweaked and altered by other companies to try and cope, but it was lipstick on a pig. Things were just not moving fast enough. The pace of change was frustratingly slow and the iPhone was barrelling along.

Android came to the party, and after 7 years the Microsoft phone in my pocket switched to an Android-powered HTC Hero. The OS was constantly getting updated and tweaked. It was nimble and the Android teams listened, learned and adapted.

Meanwhile, Microsoft did an overdue reboot of the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and Windows Phone 7 Series was born – then quickly renamed. Then the OS rebooted again as Windows Phone 8. What got me about all this was that the Windows Phone platform was good, but early adopters would be scared off by the fact that they couldn’t upgrade from Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8 without buying a new phone. Those that did stick it out found that the “big apps” were available, but a lot of the fun or niche apps weren’t. Even if Microsoft made their own version or “helped” developers create a version, it would quickly go stale and wouldn’t be supported as well as the Android and iOS versions. We then began to see Microsoft spending more time producing apps for competing mobile operating systems rather than their own.

So that brings me, in a roundabout way, to today. I’ve not even mentioned Nokia, or Lumia, or the whole heap of cash that has been used up buying the skills and manufacturing during all this time. I haven’t mentioned how much I’ve been hassling Microsoft to do something – to do anything to stop the rot. I want them to succeed, but from the early days of glacial change speeds to the direction changes and lack of focus we’re seeing today… I’ve. Had. Enough.

We all know that the Microsoft phones are good. The hardware is nearly always top notch, and the camera tech is too. Windows 10 mobile. It’s great, but you can’t sell phones just because they’re made well and have good cameras. There has to be support, a vibrant app library and a noticeable drive from both sides. It has to be a complete package.

Yesterday Microsoft showed their apathy at their Build developer conference. Only one demo involved Windows 10 mobile, and that was painfully brief. PCWorld and Tom Warren asked Windows chief Terry Myerson about Windows 10 mobile. He came back with this..

We’re fully committed to that 4-inch screen, there will be a time for it to be our focus, but right now it’s part of the family but it’s not the core of where I hope to generate developer interest over the next year.

Yeah, nice one Terry. Not this year? Well, I guess that’s no different to the last few years in a way eh? How can you be “fully committed” if you’re not bothered about developers making apps?

Yes, yes. Everyone will tell me that the Windows 10 ecosystem means that developers can produce apps that’ll run across various devices and platforms. But will they though? Can you see the developer of MSQRD suddenly making a desktop Windows version that’ll trickle down to the phone version? Can you see all the banks making apps for the platform? Let’s be honest, universal applications won’t work. Even Steve Ballmer admitted that. Can you honestly see those developers who’ve tried deploying apps for Windows Phone coming back? Sales are down, the platform is struggling and even Microsoft themselves are making their mobile apps available for Android and iOS first. If the people making the operating system are concentrating more on developing apps for other mobile OS’s, what developer in their right mind would do any different??

..for Microsoft with Windows and for our platform (mobile is) the wrong place for us to lead.

If you wanted to reach a lot of phone customers, Windows Phone isn’t the way to do it. We’re going to do some cool things with phones, but this year phones are an important part of our family but not the tip of the spear.

Yeah. Don’t worry about mobile phones guys. In fact, why not just hang back next year too. Perhaps just sit out 2017 eh? The mobile market is well-known for being slow-paced.

Oh no wait, it’s the exact opposite of that. Even the Microsoft staffers presenting at Build had forgotten about their own mobile OS. They didn’t carry Windows powered handsets and they didn’t seem to exist..

We don’t care if it’s Android or iOS, we have you covered.

Any others? No? Is that everything?

There was nothing, and I mean nothing for Windows Phone 8 owners to be cheery about. There was naff all for Windows 10 mobile customers. No future plans. No roadmap. No new handsets. Just an entire bowl full of “meh” and a side order of “can’t be bothered”.

Some were expecting a Surface Phone to be announced this week, but that didn’t happen. The promised upgrade of all Windows Phone 8 Lumia handsets to Windows 10 didn’t happen either and they closed the @LumiaVoices Twitter account this week too. OK, fans will be a little disappointed with that, but to be told that the Windows 10 mobile OS isn’t even going to be a priority for the whole of 2016 is a pill I can’t swallow. At best, they’re reaffirming the commonly-held belief that Microsoft will ignoring – perhaps killing off – their own mobile platform and concentrating instead on apps for iPhone and Android smartphones. At worst, they’re basically telling owners of Windows Phone and Windows 10 phones that they’re of no importance. They’re insignificant.

Honestly, I think Microsoft is letting this die on the vine. Truthfully, if I’m to advise anyone owning a Microsoft-powered phone, I’d say – go buy a phone powered by a different OS. Do it now. Do it today. Jump ship. iOS, Android, whatever you want, because this is done.

It’s done.

The post I’m tired of sitting on the fence. Windows on a mobile – it’s over. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Mike Phillips has mailed in to tell us that he’s got it on his Lumia 1520 already. The supported devices for the upgrade are as follows..

Lumia 1520
Lumia 930
Lumia 640
Lumia 640XL
Lumia 730
Lumia 735
Lumia 830
Lumia 532
Lumia 535
Lumia 540
Lumia 635 1GB
Lumia 636 1GB
Lumia 638 1GB
Lumia 430
Lumia 435
BLU Win HD w510u
BLU Win HD LTE x150q
MCJ Madosma Q501

If your device isn’t there then it’s basically because Microsoft don’t believe that Windows 10 would run properly. It looks like anything with 512MB RAM is a non starter. They state…

Our goal is to only offer the Windows 10 upgrade to devices that we are confident can continue to deliver a good customer experience.

Head to the Microsoft site for further information and do let us know what you think of the new OS when you receive it. Benefits include enhanced notifications, more quick actions, a new photos app, cleaner settings and more.

The post Windows 10 Mobile has arrived is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Trouble is, it didn’t, and still hasn’t. If I want an appointment I have to call at 8AM and usually can’t get through because the line is permanently engaged. When you do get through – which is about 10 minutes later – you’ll find that all the appointment slots are taken for that day.

You have to plan ahead if you’re going to be ill, and don’t expect to see anyone when you finish work at 7PM unless it’s a “certain day”.

This is what happened last year, and as I tried to get my son booked in I was being told by the receptionist that I should, “Just try again tomorrow and press redial”. Brilliant. What’s happened to our local GP’s? In the end I had to rely on the receptionist to make a “call” on whether he needed an emergency appointment slot or not. Is she a nurse? Is she a GP? No. It just seemed nuts, and when the rash appeared the next day we were starting to worry. We did the “glass test” as I hammered redial but, at 8.15, I was again told that all the appointment slots were full.

My wife ended up carrying him into the surgery and physically plonking on the reception desk and demanding an immediate appointment. We got referred to the hospital ten minutes later and he was in isolation for a week with an IV drip. Luckily it didn’t turn into full meningitis, but it showed just how much you have to fight for your kids to be seen by your local GP.

It’s wrong, and weeks later I complained to my local MP. He was useless and blamed the NHS, telling me to raise a complaint. The NHS wanted me to raise a “formal complaint”, but what can they do? Our GP seems to be stuck in 1953 with their paperwork and appointment-making processes.

Put it this way, I can understand why A&E is getting clogged up.

The solution, according to PushDoctor, is for you to pick up your phone and pay £1 to see a doctor via your phone.

Yes, I could go on a rant about the privatisation of the NHS at this point and the two-tier system of care we’re getting in the UK, but it is what it is unfortunately. You at least get a REAL doctor talking to you for £1, and that’s probably cheaper than the parking at your local surgery if we’re honest. Costs for this online solution rack up depending on what you need. For “new customers” (I think they mean patients), the first consultation is £1, but then it’s £14 if you need to meet virtually again. This will give you “up to 10 minutes” with the doctor but you can extend it out for an additional charge. A prescription costs £4.50 and a referral letter or fit for work note costs £12.50.

There’s an NHS version of the app, but it depends if your local trust supports it. For Doctors after a bit of additional cash, the paid-for-appointment app lets you “Enjoy on-demand income” and means you can “Work as little or as much as you like anytime, any day including weekends”.

There’s similar options now out there, such as Halo Communications who provide a HIPAA Compliant text messaging application for healthcare. It’s a growing market where patients and staff can benefit greatly from the benefits of technology.

You can get the iOS app or use Chrome on Android and Internet Explorer on Windows Phone. Here’s a video showing the solution in action…

https://youtu.be/kll1chX1ENA

Full details below..

The post Difficulty seeing a doctor? Get an online one instead is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

I know, I know. Many Windows phone owners will state that they’d rather not have the many thousands of apps and they’re fine with the “major” ones. However, there’s no getting around the fact that the same level of choice just isn’t there.

However, when a major player – a major player who has played such a pivotal role in Windows Phone – comes forward to tell us that they can’t be bothered to produce a Windows 10 app, you know there’s trouble. Sure, there may be alternatives, but it’s still shocking to find out that HERE is deserting the Windows 10 ship. All location and navigation apps (HERE Maps, HERE Drive+ and HERE Transit) will vanish in just a couple of weeks, and any Windows Phone 8 apps will be left to die on the vine.

An announcement states..

Although the essence of the HERE apps lives on in the Windows Maps app, we are removing the HERE branded apps from the Windows 10 store on March 29, 2016 and will limit the development of the apps for Windows Phone 8 to critical bug fixes.

As the market evolves, we keep in step by introducing our apps for new operating systems while stopping support for others.

I hate to rub this in, but Nokia and the Windows Phone userbase have a good, if brief history, and the HERE apps were really nice.

Windows Maps is there as an option, sure, but even though Windows Phone users are a resilient and flexible bunch, it’s a reduction in the already slim choice.

HERE have given their reasons for doing this which, if you read between the lines below, basically translate to the fact that there’s no point developing for the platform.

In the last few months, we made the HERE apps compatible with Windows 10 by using a workaround that will no longer be effective after June 30, 2016. To continue offering the HERE apps for Windows 10 would require us to redevelop the apps from the ground up, a scenario that led to the business decision to remove our apps from the Windows 10 store.

Think about that for a moment. They basically can’t see a reason to develop an app for Windows 10. That’s Windows 10 on the desktop, the mobile and everything in-between.

Get further details from the announcement here. Thanks to Iain McLaren for giving us the nudge about this.

There is, of course, a way to keep using HERE Maps. Go out and get another phone. The Android and iPhone versions are proving pretty popular.

The arguments over whether Microsoft missed the opportunity to buy HERE and what exactly the future holds for Windows 10 mobile will continue…

The post Windows Phones – HERE no more is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Amidst the news of Microsoft’s ailing mobile efforts comes a new approach.  Last year Microsoft, in conjunction with OEM Xiaomi, released a version of its mobile OS for installation on the Mi 4 Android phone.  News from China suggests that this approach is now going to be repeated, with a build designed for the newer Xiaomi Mi 5.  Perhaps more exciting is the news that other ROMs are being prepared for the OnePlus 2, and the yet to be released OnePlus 3.  Details are scant and are limited to the contents of the picture above (which is probably unhelpful for non-Mandarin readers!).  Personally I don’t think that Microsoft’s problems are down to the handsets themselves so I can’t see that this will improve its fortunes, but it’s an interesting approach nonetheless.  What do our readers think?

Source: ITHome.com

The post Windows 10 Mobile to be released on Android handsets is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The phone has very similar specs to that of the Lumia 950 (Standard) in that it shares the same Snapdragon 808 processor and that it has 3 GB RAM and 32 GB of EWMMC memory, it also meets the requirement set out by Microsoft to allow the use of Continuum. This makes for a great way to expand the functionality of the phone. here is a snapshot of the core specs.

Specs
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor
3GB of RAM
32GB of internal storage
5.5-inch, Full HD 1080p AMOLED display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass
21MP rear camera with dual-LED flash
8MP wide angle front facing camera
Cat. 6 LTE

Unfortunately, we do seem to be missing the highlight feature’s of the 2K screen, as we have a 1920 x 1080 display here wish is not by any means a bad screen. However, the rest of the phone is really up there with the Lumia big hitter. The phone has a different style dock, this time, things are not quite as refined as the Microsoft one and it also lacks the display port out but, you have got the essentials. The dock itself is very sleek and well built and works well giving you a nice upright view of the phone whilst you work on your big screen setup.

There are some very nice design details on the phone such as the gentle curve of the glass display and the arc of the back cover. The 21mp camera is mirrored at the base of the phone by a nice circular speaker that is capable of outputting a good volume level albeit with the inherent tinniness you would come to expect of any mobile phone speaker.

As for the actual size of the device, we can see that it is not any bigger than that of the Moto X Force that I am currently reviewing. It is a tiny bit taller but not by much and that is really because of the fact that the Moto X Force use’s the space at the bottom of the phone a bit more effectively.  As for the sides, these are very slim and sleek and the buttons are almost indistinguishable from the metallic edging strip that runs the length of the phone. Here is where you will find the Dual SIM slot and the Micro SD Card slot.

We have been informed that the phone will be coming to the UK and it will most likely be bundled with a keyboard, wireless mouse and the dock. I have not had a concrete answer in this but i have made the necessary enquiries and will update this article when we know for certain either way. I have been pretty impressed with the look and the feel of the Acer Jade Primo and look forward to getting hold of one at Coolsmartphone towers for a full on review in the near future.

The post MWC – Acer Jade Primo hands on is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

I am very impressed with it but instead of reading my thoughts on it lets see what Sahuil from HP has to say about it.

I also had a chance to have a little play with the device and ask a few questions. Before we get into this I do need to state that the devices on display are prototypes and they, don’t even have the fingerprint sensor on them yet. That being said they feel great in the hand and are feature packed.

Here is a quick look at the specs for the device..

Specs
Product Color-HP Graphite
Operating System – Windows 10 Mobile
Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (2.15 GHz, 4cores)
Chipset – Qualcomm MSM8996
Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 SDRAM (onboard) Dual channel x32 PoP 32Gbit
Internal Storage – 64GB eMMC 5.1
Display – 5.96″ diagonal WQHD (2560×1440),AMOLED multi-touch display,Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Anti-reflective coating
Available Graphics – Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU
Audio – 2 Stereo speakers (one with earpiece), 3 integrated omni-directional microphones with HP Noise Cancellation Software, 1 external microphone (from headset jack), Snapdragon Audio+ support, Audio by B&O PLAY
Wireless Technologies – 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2×2)
WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 LE combo (Miracast supported)
NFC
WWAN:2G/3G/4G,LTE-A with carrier aggregation 4,5,6,13
Expansion Slots 1 microSD (Expandable up to 2TB)
Ports and Connectors -One 3.5mm 3 and 4 pole headphone jack, 1 USB 3.0 Type-C connector, Dual nanoSIM or nanoSIM + microSD card via 3-in-2 card tray, Pogo pins
Camera – 16MP f/2.0 FHD rear-facing camera, 8MP FHD front facing camera and Iris camera
Available Software – HP Workspace, HP Device Hub ,HP Registration and device onboarding, Adobe PDF Reader
Security Management – Elite x3 device has dual biometrics with Iris recognition and Fingerprint reader
FIPS 140-2 cryptography ,Qualcomm processor includes Secure Boot, 128-bitkey Unified Image Encryption, 256-bitkey Full Disk Encryption, Anti roll back ,fTPM2.0security; Windows 10 includes 128 key, Bitlocker encryption, Enterprise grade VPN
Dimensions – 3.29 x 0.31 x 6.36 in, 83.5 x7.8 x 161.8 mm
Weight – Starting at 0.43lb, Starting at 195g
Power – 10W 5V/2 Aadapter, Non-removable 3.85V battery pack , 4150 mAh Li-ion polymer
Wireless Charging – Qi and PMA
Sensors Ambient light sensor + proximity combo, Accelerometer+gyro, eCompass, Pressure, Hall effect, NFC, GPS, Energy Efficiency Compliance ENERGY STAR certified, EPEAT Gold registered where applicable
Durability features – Providing seals against liquid and dust ingress to IP67 rating, Designed to pass MIL-STD810G testing

As we can see fro the specs, this thing is a beast of a machine and it needs to be. The HP proprietary HP Workspace software will allow you have desktop apps on the phone under a virtual environment which is just too cool for school.

The phone also features a great battery with a huge 4105 mAH Li-Ion battery and it is MilSpec and IP rated to IP67, sharing the same rating with Sony Xperia Z devices.

I am massively looking forward to putting this through it paces and we will be getting a review unit very soon.

The post MWC – HP Elite x3 Hands on is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Long when we thought Windows 10 Mobile wasn’t going to see any support further than the Lumias and the Acer Jade Primo, HP has surprised quite a few people with the announcement of the Elite X3. Yes, that’s right – not only are HP going in on Windows 10 Phone, but they’re going hard.

I have to admit that I kinda thought the Continuum idea may be dead in the water, but today at MWC HP has announced the Elite X3, and at first glance, it’s a corker.

The Elite X3 is a full-on phablet, with a QHD screen at 5.96 inches, fronted by Gorilla Glass 4. The spec-fest doesn’t end there. As well being on of the first phones announced to be using the new Snapdragon 820 processor, it uses all the real estate at the back to good use. Picture the 4150 mAh battery powering the phone, Qi and Powermat charging will keep it topped up, and it charges through a USB C port for future proofing (USB 3, no less). Then add 32GB (although there are some reports that it will come in with 64GB) of storage, and 4GB RAM to keep it ticking over. Not enough? You’re right. It’s got dual SIM capability, a fingerprint scanner, 16 MP rear camera paired together with an 8 MP front shooter for selfies and video conferencing, a Micro USB card and an iris sensor. Told you it was a corker. The previous kings of the Windows 10 Phone throne – being the Lumia 950 and 950 XL are under serious threat of being toppled, and it’s only day one.

Even better, to ensure this thing keeps going, the HP Elite X3 has a Milspec MIL-STD-810G rating, as well as an IP67 certification for dust and water resistance. HP have put the Elite X3 in the centre of it’s own ecosystem, expanding the ‘Continuumability’. Along with its own Dock, one optional extra announced was the Mobile Extender. The Extender is basically a keyboard and 12.5 inch, Full HD screen that will sync through Continuum. The Wireless Extender also comes with a 4 cell battery pack, and the whole thing will weigh about 1 kg. Imagine a laptop shell without all those other expensive internals, and you have the concept of the Extender.

At the end of the work day, you can kick back and relax through music courtesy of front facing speakers tuned by Bang and Olufson. How much and where it will be sold has yet to be announced, but HP have confirmed it will be out this summer. It may not be for your average consumer, but I’m sure that a number of enterprises will be taking another look at Windows 10 and how they can utilise the capability of Windows 10 Mobile.

Press release here:

The post MWC – HP Elite X3 brings Windows 10 Mobile back in the game is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

So step forward the Lumia 650, it runs Windows 10 Mobile and the specifications include a 5″ HD (1280×720) AMOLED ClearBlack screen, 8 megapixel rear camera (f/2.2) and 5 megapixel front cam.

It’s powered by a quad-core 1.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 with just 1GB RAM and 16GB of storage. That can be increased via a microSD card and there’s WiFi, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1 and a 2000 mAh battery.

Get more detail on the Microsoft website. There’s quite a noise made about this phone being “for business”, even though Continuum isn’t present, and even though most businesses probably use iPhones or other handsets with Good Technology apps or Citrix.

Sigh, Microsoft…

The post Microsoft Lumia 650 – Official specs revealed is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Despite the launch of two premium Lumia handsets and Windows 10 Mobile late last year, things are not going well for Microsoft’s mobile aspirations.  Sales figures are down, and although the new phones received generally positive reviews, they hardly set the tech world alight with new features or reasons for people to switch OS.  News from Finland, where Microsoft has (or rather had!) a sizeable phone division, is that more of the former Nokia employees are being made redundant as Microsoft attempts to streamline its phone operations.  Although precise numbers aren’t available, it comes on top of the 2,300 job cuts in the mobile division that were announced last March.  These are dark days for Windows Mobile/Phone, and it’s looking increasingly hard to perceive how Microsoft is going to turn its fortunes around in this particular area.

Source: ZDNet.

Image source.

The post Microsoft cuts yet more jobs in its mobile division is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.