IJSMblog smartphone news

Microsoft delays Windows 10 Mobile official release until "early 2016"

2015-12-17T22:14:00.002+00:00

Microsoft has delayed the official release of its new Windows 10 Mobile operating system for smartphones.

It was scheduled for December 2015, but the software giant now says it's been put off until "early next year".

So, you have two options if you want to get Windows 10 Mobile. Join the Windows Insider scheme, download the app to your phone, and update to the latest beta version of the new OS.

Or buy a Lumia 950 phone, which has been released with the new OS already installed.

To be honest, it's not surprising MS has delayed the official launch, because the current version - as used on the 950 - is really not ready.

It has bugs and generally feels unfinished. So probably better to wait.

How to use Google as default search in Windows 10 Mobile

2015-12-17T22:03:00.000+00:00

The default search engine in the new Windows 10 Mobile smartphone operating system is, not surprisingly, Microsoft's own Bing.

And it seems Redmond would like it to stay that way, because changing it is not made easy.

If you go into Microsoft Edge browser Settings, there is a section for "Search in address bar with....". But Bing is the only choice.

Here's how to get another default search engine like, say, Google.

Using your phone, open the Edge browser and enter the web address of your chosen search provider, like Google.com.

While on the Google homepage, open Edge Settings using the three dots in the bottom right.

Go to Advanced Settings, then tap "Search in address bar with....".

As well as Bing, you'll now see Google in the list. Tap Google to save it.

Now when you use the Edge address bar to search, you'll be using Google.

Huawei Honor 7 sells out in Europe in 24-hours

2015-09-02T18:18:00.000+01:00

OK...pretty meaningless headline, because we don't know numbers. But it seems clear that Huawei's hope of breaking into the European smartphone market in a big way may be actually happening with its Honor 7.

The Chinese company released the device in its homeland a few weeks ago and it proved incredibly popular.

Last week, it was officially launched in Europe...and it sold out within a day (we're presuming Huawei had more than half a dozen in stock).

On the face of it, it's not surprising: the Honor 7 has very high-end specs for a phone costing £249.99.

Last weekend, the company had a £40-off offer on its Euro order website and it says that offer will return, probably on Fridays, for the next few weeks.

Most people who bagged the bargain have been told they'll have to wait three to four weeks for more stock to arrive.

And the reason for its popularity?

It's got a 5.2" Full HD Gorilla glass screen and a premium aluminium casing. Add to that a 20MP Sony back camera and an 8MP front camera with flash, a powerful 2.2GHz Cortex processor, Android Lollipop, 16GB internal storage with a microSD slot that supports 128GB, and a big 3,100mAh battery that should easily see most users through two days without the need to recharge.

RAM is 3GB, which should take care of smooth multitasking and heavy gaming.

It's got 4G/LTE which works on all UK networks.

There's also a fingerprint sensor on the back that also doubles as a scroll trackpad, and a nifty "smart button" on the side that can be set to open various apps and settings with one or two or three presses and a long press. A nice touch with the fingerprint sensor is touching it will not only unlock the phone, it also wakes it up from sleep all with one touch.

We've only had a short play with the phone (yup, we're on preorder too) but it certainly flew through tasks and felt like a quality, high-end device.

You can order the Honor 7 in grey or white (no gold as yet) from Huawei's Euro website, where the supply is being handled by Expansys. The company is promising "quick and reliable after sales service", something that's sadly missing from some other Chinese brands selling direct to Europe.

Huawei says the phone will eventually also be on sale at other outlets, including Amazon and Clove, in the UK.

Huawei has been around in the UK market for some years, mainly on the 3 network and it's got a reputation for solid, if a bit dull, low-end smartphones.
It believes the Honor 7 will pave the way for it to break into the mid to high range.

And with the price it's put on this device, it may be right.

The Chinese manufacturer will take another step to the mainstream later this year: Google has chosen Huawei to produce the next Nexus smartphone and it'll be interesting to see how much the new Nexus resembles the Honor 7. Probably quite a lot.

With apologies to Steve Jobs, here's Huawei's very cheesy UK launch event for the Honor 7. It goes on and on for nearly an hour, so second video is an excellent review of the phone from Android Authority.

Microsoft loses Nokia design edge with new Lumia 950 and 950XL

2015-08-29T18:41:00.000+01:00

This - apparently - is Microsoft's upcoming new Lumia flagship.

And it's...well...a bit dull.

It's the Lumia 950XL as leaked by @evleaks, which virtually guarantees authenticity.

It's got a 5.7" screen and a super-powerful 20MP rear camera, which will undoubtedly be very good.

But it's still...well...dull.

The shape of the phone is much the same as the current crop of lower-speced Lumias so it looks like another Lumia to add to the confusing array of Lumias that already look just like each other.

Alongside it will be released its smaller sibling, the Lumia 950 with a 5.2" display and general all-round lower specs.

And - surprise, surprise - it looks just like a Lumia too.

It seems the days of Nokia design innovation in the Lumia range are well and truly gone now Microsoft owns the brand.

Both the 950 and the 950XL will go on sale loaded with Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system, which is a plus point because it works well and feels fairly fresh.

But the hardware.

Dull.

PS: it won't surprise you that Microsoft appears to have dropped Nokia's colourful Lumia shells. Both these phones will come in either black or white. That blue 950XL in the photo is a prototype-only.

Dull.

Leaked photo of next Google Nexus smartphones...with strange camera bezel

2015-08-24T19:43:00.000+01:00

This is a leaked image of what's claimed to be the next Google Nexus smartphone, expected to be officially unveiled in October.

The 5.7" phone is being developed by Huawei and it appears to have made a loud design statement with the elongated and flattened camera surround.

And you can clearly see a fingerprint-unlocking sensor.

Google has also commissioned by smaller 5.2" device from LG, which manufactured the Nexus 5.

Looks like Sony is planning a top-end Xperia smartphone with fingerprint security

2015-08-16T09:04:00.001+01:00

What looks like an official Sony presentation slide has been leaked which appears to show the company;s new line of top-end Xperia smartphones.

Sony has managed to grab itself back a healthy slice of the market with the Android Xperia range which have reinforced the company's reputation for good build-quality.

The renders of what will probably be the Xperia 5 and 5 Plus show similar designs to predecessors but it seems Sony is now adding fingerprint recognition, which is being used increasingly by manufacturers for owners to unlock phones and even take the place of typed passwords for apps like store purchases and shopping.

We expect an official unveiling from Sony in September.

Blackberry to release Android smartphone with keyboard later this year?

2015-08-08T00:15:00.001+01:00

OK...I had to put a questionmark at the end of that headline, but it seems pretty certain: Blackberry is set to release an Android-powered smartphone.

It's called (and this could be a development codename) the Blackberry Venice and it will probably have a slide-out keyboard.

Blackberry sales have been plummeting for years, mainly because the Blackberry 10 operating system simply isn't hacking it.

But its hardware has remained top notch.

So, it looks like the phone-company-formally-known-as-RIM is now banking on a winner by fusing its hardware with Google's market-leading OS.

No doubt it will have enhanced security and - hopefully - holdovers from Blackberry 10, like the excellent messaging hub.

Blackberry has even gone to the trouble of registering the domain name AndroidSecured.com:

The photo at the top of this post comes from @evleaks, who knows what he's talking about when it comes to leaking mobiles. Here's another:

It seems the Blackberry Venice will be released this year...possibly in November.

How to disable Apple Music subscription auto-renewal

2015-07-24T01:27:00.002+01:00

Apple is giving three months free subscription to its new Apple Music service.

Yup...90-days of free streaming and downloading your favourite tunes, but after that time...the £9.99 a month subscription will be automatically sucked out of your Apple account.

If you don't want to carry on with the service, you'll have to unsubscribe by deactivating automatic subscription payments, You can do this from the Apple Music app, but it's hidden away.

Here's how to do it....

1. Open the iOS music app and tap the profile icon in the top left corner.

2. Tap "View Apple ID" and enter your Apple Store password.

3. You're now in your billing profile. Select "Subscriptions" and then select "Manage".

4. You're now in the Apple Music Membership page where you can see exactly when your free trial ends.

5. Now you can toggle off "Automatic Renewal".

Phew!

Fasteroute app for the best live UK National Rail arrivals and departures on Android and iOS

2015-07-17T16:54:00.002+01:00

If you're using the official National Rail app for train times in the UK, you'll know how cluttered and cumbersome it is.

Now there's a newish train-times kid on the block that's like a breath of fresh air.

It's called Fasteroute and there are apps for Android and iOS devices

The design is simple and elegant and it works super fast giving you arrival and departure boards for all UK stations with platform numbers and departure times, including the very useful how-long-til-my-train-leaves info.

You can refine the results to one particular destination and tapping on a train brings up all stops and expected times. It will also update with delays and cancellations.

It uses information from National Rail but lays it out in a way that makes it a pleasure to use.

The app is free and we can thoroughly recommend it.

One big downer is the lack of a journey planner, but the developers say they're working on it.

Fairphone 2 goes on pre-order for £370

2015-07-16T20:43:00.001+01:00

Fairphone wants to change the way we think about smartphones. It wants us to think about where the components are sourced and make sure manufacture has as little impact on the environment and human rights as possible.

The Amsterdam-based start-up scored a fair success with its first phone and now it's unveiled the Fairphone 2, with a pricetag of 530 Euro (about £370).

The phone is...well...fairly uninspiring in design, but under the hood is where it shines.

The specs are midrange, but each of the components is modular and can be - fairly - easily be replaced. The aim is to make the device last longer.

It comes loaded with Android 5.1 Lollipop.

The Fairphone 2 is now up for preorder here with delivery expected in November. The company is looking for 15,000 people to sign up.

OnePlus Two "gets full 4G support for UK"

2015-07-16T19:01:00.001+01:00

OnePlus One

Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus successfully shook up the market when it released its first device - the OnePlus One - last year.

It offered high-end specs for a midrange price and made established global mobile manufacturers sit up and take notice.

So there's lots of breath being bated over the company's planned OnePlus Two device.

Nothing has been confirmed but rumours are sticking and looking pretty likely.

A major change is the Two will almost certainly support 4G on all UK networks.

The One was a no-go for many because it only worked on 4G bands used by EE and 3. But OnePlus has recognised its mistake and the Two will work on Vodafone and O2 as well.

It's thought the Two will stick with a 5.5" screen but the overall size will be smaller than the One, presumably by cutting down on bezel size. Could it even be a bezel-less design?

Also expect RAM to increase from 3GB to 4GB and the addition of a fingerprint scanner.

And the company is simplifying its method of "invitation selling".

Buying the One meant you had to hang around OnePlus forums or social media trying to get hold of an invitation to buy.

This time round, it will still be invitation-only, but they'll be easier to get. In fact, all you'll have to do it register your interest at the OnePlus website.

Why do this? Simple. It means OnePlus can virtually build-to-order, saving on expensive stock storage.

Chinese phone manufacturer JiaYu denies bankruptcy, admits restructuring

2015-07-16T18:17:00.000+01:00

Life's getting tough for some Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

Bankruptcy rumours have been rife for a few weeks about one of the country's oldest phone makers, JiaYu.

But the company has now issued a statement saying it will stay in business with some substantial financial restructuring.

JiaYu's suppliers of batteries and screens have now injected cash into the company and will become part of a new bigger group.

Many Chinese phone manufacturers are now riding on the crest of a cash wave as their products gain popularity around the world, substantially undercutting the prices of established global brands like Samsung, HTC and Apple.

But JiaYu has concentrated on its home market in China and has failed to expand to other areas.

Here's the JiaYu statement:

BBC Radio iPlayer app gets Android update to download shows

2015-07-15T16:43:00.003+01:00

At long, long, long, long last the BBC is now allowing us to download programmes on its iPlayer Radio app on Android devices.

The BBC iPlayer TV app has let us have offline viewing for some time and now its radio version has been updated to do the same.

It's not only current programmes that can be downloaded and stored but also a wealth of archive shows.

The updated app is now live in the Google Play Store with a phased roll-out to different devices.

Bargain alert: Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 packs a powerful 4G punch for £125

2015-07-05T21:30:00.000+01:00

This is the latest in theVodafone UK line of own-brand Android smartphones and it gives you amazing specs for the £125 pay-as-you-go price.

It's the 4G Vodafone Smart Ultra 6, powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor.

And the powerful processor is backed up by other first-class hardware. There's 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage with a microSD slot for extra, a 3,000 mAh battery and a bright, full-HD 5.5" 1080p display.

The cameras are none-to-shabby as well: 13MP on the back and 5MP on the front. And it's running Google's latest Lollipop Android operating system.

In fact, the Ultra 6 is manufactured by Chinese company ZTE and is based on its Blade S6 Plus, which sells for about £200 if you can be bothered to order it from a website in China and face the possible warranty problems that go with imports. So £125 really is value for money, especially as the Vodafone version has a higher screen resolution than the ZTE branded one.

Of course, the Ultra 6 is locked to the Vodafone UK network but it can be easily unlocked with a code which costs less than a fiver from sellers on eBay. It has some Vodafone crapware apps, all of which can be uninstalled or disabled. But the bloat isn't overdone and most of the OS sticks to fairly vanilla Lollipop.

Don't expect top-notch casing - it's fairly bland plastic but the build quality is surprisingly good and there are no creaks or bends. At a push and a bit of distance, it could be mistaken for an Apple iPhone 6 Plus.

The Ultra 6 is available now in what Vodafone calls a "graphite" colour. We'd call it grey. And there'll be a "white and silver" version released later this week.

.

Get ordering here.

Update:It looks like Vodafone is living up to its reputation of pretty bad sales service. The Ultra 6 is already out of stock online and there's no confirmation of when it will be available instore. And apparently Vodafone is now telling customers who've managed to order that the free earphones offer was a mistake.

Update 2: Unlock codes for the Smart Ultra 6 are now for sale on eBay for about £4. This phone will now start flying.....

Muzo Cobblestone makes any speaker or sound system wireless

2015-07-05T21:16:00.000+01:00

Here's a clever and not-too-expensive gadget to keep your eyes on.

It's called Cobblestone and it's made by a kickstarter start-up company called Muzo.

It's a simple concept, beautifully designed and easy to use.

Cobblestone provides any speaker system with a WiFi connection.

You plug the stone into the audio input of any speaker or sound system and then use an Android or iOS app to connect the device to your router's WiFi and play music on it.

The music could be stored on your phone, tablet, computer or in the cloud.

The app is a breeze to use and the system takes minutes to set up.

But the best bit is the price. It costs $59.

It's just been launched in the US, where you can get it from Amazon, which will deliver to the UK (free delivery if you've got Amazon Prime and don't mind waiting a few days). It should be available from UK stores soon.

Sony Smartband Talk gets update for detailed notifications and better voice search

2015-07-01T21:57:00.000+01:00

If you've got one of Sony's excellent Smartband Talk smartwatches/fit bands and were worried Sony had forgotten about it...well, worry not.

Sony has released an update for the Talk's Android smartphone app that automatically also updates the band's firmware.

And it's a pretty major update.

There's a big improvement to how the band handles notifications.

Instead of the notifications disappearing into the ether after flashing on the band's screen for a few seconds, Sony has now introduced a Notification setting on the band that lists all recent notifications and also lets you read them in their entirety. There's also the option to dismiss them or delete them.

The update also improves the band's voice search function by linking it with whatever voice search you're using on your Android phone, including the very functional Google Now.

Get updating...and breathe new life into your Smartband Talk.

Is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warning of the death of Windows Phone?

2015-06-25T21:37:00.001+01:00

Geekwire has got hold of an internal Microsoft memo from CEO Satya Nadella and it doesn't sound good for the future of the company's smartphone operating system, Windows Phone, even though there are still plans to release a major update and change its name to Windows 10 for Phone later this year.

The memo warns of "tough decisions" in the year ahead....and by that we presume he means Microsoft's fiscal year which starts on July 1.

I'm not going to speculate too much and what follows is the entire memo. But as you read it, remember that Windows Phone has not worked. It still has only a tiny slice of the smartphone market and - along with tablets - is one of the weakest parts of the Microsoft empire.

Team,

I believe that we can do magical things when we come together with a shared mission, clear strategy, and a culture that brings out the best in us individually and collectively. Last week I shared how we are aligning our structure to our strategy. Today, I want to share more on the overall context and connective tissue between our mission, worldview, strategy and culture. It is critical that we start the new fiscal year with this shared vision on what we can do and who we want to become.

Mission. Every great company has an enduring mission. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. I’m proud to share that this is our new official mission statement. This mission is ambitious and at the core of what our customers deeply care about. We have unique capability in harmonizing the needs of both individuals and organizations. This is in our DNA. We also deeply care about taking things global and making a difference in lives and organizations in all corners of the planet.

Worldview. We must always ground our mission in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world. It’s important to note that our worldview for mobile-first is not just about the mobility of devices; it’s centered on the mobility of experiences that, in turn, are orchestrated by the cloud. That is why we think of these two trends together. What we do with our products and business models has to account for this fundamental transformation.

Strategy and ambitions. Our strategy is to build best-in-class platforms and productivity services for a mobile-first, cloud-first world. Our platforms will harmonize the interests of end users, developers and IT better than any competing ecosystem or platform. We will realize our mission and strategy by investing in three interconnected and bold ambitions.

1. Reinvent productivity and business processes
2. Build the intelligent cloud platform
3. Create more personal computing

These ambitions utilize a unique set of assets that span productivity services, cloud platform, our device platform and our family of devices. There is an explicit path dependence on how we achieve the “inter-connectedness” between the various elements of our strategy to gain momentum.

· First, we will reinvent productivity services for digital work that span all devices. We will also extend our experience footprint by building more business process experiences, integrated into content authoring and consumption, communication and collaboration tools. We will drive scale and usage by appealing to “dual-use” customers, providing productivity services that enable them to accomplish more at work and in the rest of their life activities with other people.

· Second, all these experiences will be powered by our cloud platform – a cloud that provides our customers faster time to value, improved agility and cost reduction, and solutions that differentiate their business. We’ll further provide a powerful extensibility model that is attractive to third-party developers and enterprises. This in turn enables us to attract applications to our cloud platform and attach our differentiated capabilities such as identity management, rich data management, machine learning and advanced analytics.

· Finally, we will build the best instantiation of this vision through our Windows device platform and our devices, which will serve to delight our customers, increase distribution of our services, drive gross margin, enable fundamentally new product categories, and generate opportunity for the Windows ecosystem more broadly. We will pursue our gaming ambition as part of this broader vision for Windows and increase its appeal to consumers. We will bring together Xbox Live and our first-party gaming efforts across PC, console, mobile and new categories like HoloLens into one integrated play.

Strength across all the ambitions enables us to deliver high value to our customers while providing us with the ability to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.

Culture. Perhaps the most important driver of success is culture. Over the past year, we’ve challenged ourselves to think about our core mission, our soul — what would be lost if we disappeared. That work resulted in the mission, strategy and ambitions articulated above. However, we also asked ourselves, what culture do we want to foster that will enable us to achieve these goals?

We fundamentally believe that we need a culture founded in a growth mindset. It starts with a belief that everyone can grow and develop; that potential is nurtured, not predetermined; and that anyone can change their mindset. Leadership is about bringing out the best in people, where everyone is bringing their A game and finding deep meaning in their work. We need to be always learning and insatiably curious. We need to be willing to lean in to uncertainty, take risks and move quickly when we make mistakes, recognizing failure happens along the way to mastery. And we need to be open to the ideas of others, where the success of others does not diminish our own.

We have the opportunity to exercise our growth mindset every day in three distinct areas:

· Customer-obsessed. We will learn about our customers and their businesses with a beginner’s mind and then bring solutions that meet their needs. We will be insatiable in our desire to learn from the outside and bring that knowledge into Microsoft, while still innovating to surprise and delight our users.

· Diverse and inclusive. The world is diverse. We will better serve everyone on the planet by representing everyone on the planet. We will be open to learning our own biases and changing our behaviors so we can tap into the collective power of everyone at Microsoft. We don’t just value differences, we seek them out, we invite them in. And as a result, our ideas are better, our products are better and our customers are better served.

· One Microsoft. We are a family of individuals united by a single, shared mission. It’s our ability to work together that makes our dreams believable and, ultimately, achievable. We will build on the ideas of others and collaborate across boundaries to bring the best of Microsoft to our customers as one. We are proud to be part of team Microsoft.

If we do all of this, we will achieve our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet. Beyond that, we will make a difference and find deep meaning in our work. We stand in awe of what humans dare to achieve, and we are motivated every day to empower others to achieve more through our technology and innovation.

When we come together as a team, with our exceptional talent and the mindset of a learner, we will grow as individuals, we will grow as a team, we will grow with our customers and partners, we will grow our opportunity, and we will grow our business going forward. And, ultimately, we will grow the impact we have in the world.

We’ve already started this evolution with things like OneWeek and Hackathon, customer feedback loops, our focus on usage in the engineering teams, our performance review model, as well as our diversity and inclusion efforts including the new unconscious bias training. We will do more and more to support the culture we have and recognize impact when we see it.

A good example of our culture in action right now is the work around Windows. We have approached Windows 10 with a growth mindset and obsession for our customers. We have the opportunity to connect with 1.5 billion Windows customers in 190 countries around the globe. We aspire to move people from needing Windows to choosing Windows to loving Windows. … Certainly we want to upgrade as many of our current Windows 7 and 8.1 customers to Windows 10 as possible through our free upgrade offer. More than that, though, we see this as an opportunity to support and celebrate how people and communities upgrade their world every day. To that end, starting on July 29 when Windows 10 becomes available, employees are invited to volunteer some time and upgrade their communities as part of the broader movement. More details will be available in the coming weeks — our hope is that not only our employees, but customers and partners as well, will get involved and be inspired. Together, we can make a big difference in our world.

I believe that culture is not static. It evolves every day based on the behaviors of everyone in the organization. We are in an incredible position to seize new growth this year. We will need to innovate in new areas, execute against our plans, make some tough choices in areas where things are not working and solve hard problems in ways that drive customer value. I really do believe that we can achieve magical things when we come together as one team and focus. I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together in FY16.

Satya

Windows 10 free update to be released on July 29

2015-06-19T00:16:00.003+01:00

Here's a date for your diary. Windows 10 will go on full public release on July 29...and it's a free upgrade to be delivered over-the-air..

If you're struggling with Windows 8.1 you'll know that it's been a flop. Not as big a flop as Windows Vista. But still a resounding flop.

Microsoft is hoping to put it all right by skipping Windows 9 and belting on to 10;

It was planning to release Windows 10 for smartphones at the same time. But it's not ready and will now be available "later this year".

Microsoft finally blows out the Nokia candle

2015-06-18T23:45:00.000+01:00

Microsoft has put the final nail in the Nokia coffin.

It's sacked Microsoft Vice Presidents Stephen Elop and Jo Harlow, Both were taken on board when the software giant bought the iconic Nokia mobile phones division as a way of ensuring the survival of its Windows Phone operating system.

Any lingering influence the once-great Nokia had inside the Microsoft monster is now gone.

Of course, the Nokia brand still exists - in field communication and mapping. What's left of the company signed an agreement with Redmond that it wouldn't return to the mobile phone business until late 2016. And it's made it clear it will return.

But it's also make it clear it will only licence its designs and brand. It won't get involved in manufacturing.

It's going down the same road as many big brands that have fallen on hard times. Polariod is one. It once made innovative cameras. You can now get Polaroid-branded TVs, radios, you-name-it, as well as not-very-innovative cameras.

Nokia was famous for quality design and - more importantly - quality hardware.

Bye bye Nokia.

The Nokia smartwatch that Microsoft cancelled....

2015-06-12T19:41:00.001+01:00

Allegedly...this is a smartwatch running a cutdown version of Windows Phone OS that Nokia was developing.

Apparently...it got very near public release.

But then along came Microsoft, which bought Nokia's mobile phone division.

And...it's claimed...Redmond decided to abandon the smartwatch development in favour of its own Microsoft Band project.

What a pity.

Twitter to scrap 140-character rule - for direct messages

2015-06-12T00:06:00.000+01:00

Part of the charm of Twitter is the 140-character rule. It blows away attempts to be longwinded.

But the company has confirmed a change of policy.

The 140-rule will be scrapped later this year.....but only for direct messages.

Tweets for public consumption will remain brief.

Twitter is now commonly used by, for example, customer service departments to answer questions and complaints. And, very often, a complicated complaint is impossible to get into 140 characters.

The new move will be useful for that.

But let's hope it doesn't spread. Or Twitter's charm will be blown.

Smartwatches...all you need to know...Apple vs Android

2015-05-19T00:12:00.003+01:00

There'll be no Windows 11, World's dominant operating system will get rolling updates

2015-05-08T22:21:00.000+01:00

(BBC)Windows 10 is going to be the last major revision of the operating system.

Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of the dominant desktop software.

His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an "ongoing manner".

Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said.

Mr Nixon made his comments during Microsoft's Ignite conference held in Chicago this week.

In a statement, Microsoft said Mr Nixon's comments reflected a change in the way that it made its software.

"Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner," it said, adding that it expected there to be a "long future" for Windows.

'No Windows 11'

The company said it had yet to decide on what to call the operating system beyond Windows 10.

"There will be no Windows 11," warned Steve Kleynhans, a research vice-president at analyst firm Gartner who monitors Microsoft.

He said Microsoft had in the past deliberately avoided using the name "Windows 9" and instead chose Windows 10 as a way to signify a break with a past which involved successive stand-alone versions of the operating system.

However, he said, working in that way had created many problems for Microsoft and its customers.

"Every three years or so Microsoft would sit down and create 'the next great OS'," he said.

Microsoft has developed the HoloLens augmented reality system for use with Windows 10

"The developers would be locked away and out would pop a product based on what the world wanted three years ago."

Microsoft also had to spend a huge amount of money and marketing muscle to convince people that they needed this new version, and that it was better than anything that had come before, he explained.

Moving to a situation in which Windows is a constantly updated service will break out of this cycle, and let Microsoft tinker more with the software to test new features and see how customers like them, he added.

'Positive step'

Most of the revenue generated by Windows for Microsoft came from sales of new PCs and this was unlikely to be affected by the change, Mr Kleynhans pointed out.

"Overall this is a positive step, but it does have some risks," he said.

"Microsoft will have to work hard to keep generating updates and new features, he said, adding that questions still remained about how corporate customers would adapt to the change and how Microsoft would provide support.

"It doesn't mean that Windows is frozen and will never move forward again," Mr Kleynhans told the BBC.

"Indeed we are about to see the opposite, with the speed of Windows updates shifting into high gear."

Share any file cross-platform wirelessly with Send Anywhere app

2015-05-08T20:46:00.001+01:00

Here's a useful app: Send Anywhere lets you wirelessly share files between devices...and it's cross-platform.

Got, say, a ringtone on your old Android device that you want on your new Windows phone? Or a photo? Send Anywhere lets you do it easily.

It works on Windows Phone, Android, iOS and Windows computers and tablets.

Select the file you want to send using the app on one device. It generates a code that you tap into the app on another device. And press Send. It's done.

And the devices don't have to be on the same WiFi or data connection.

Get it for Windows phones here. It's also in the Apple iOS app store as well as Android and Windows stores.

Microsoft offers face-to-face one-hour lessons in UK on how to use your Lumia

2015-05-08T20:18:00.000+01:00

Microsoft is offering UK Lumia owners the chance of a face-to-face lesson on how to use your device and get the most out of available apps.

The one-hour tutorials - called Pro Demos - will be held in Carphone Warehouse stores.

It looks like they're group sessions and not one-to-one lessons.

You can register your interest here and you'll be informed of your nearest location.