Nokia Lumia 610 is now available at.. Koodo!

Another day, another Nokia Lumia device unleashed on the Canadian market (whatever happened to HTC - guess they have the Radar, and Samsung??)

Anyhow, the Lumia device that is targeted at the low cost market is now available at KoodoMobile (probably soon to Telus as well)

Only black is available at this time but the white version is coming soon.

This has the 800Mhz processor and it is priced at $200 outright or $50 on tab.

Frankly, at $200, I'd get the Lumia 710 outright for $50 more.  It would be a decent deal at $150 but Telus continues to price Lumia phones at funny price points (i.e. 800 is more expensive that the 900???)

Note that due to the lower processor speed and lower RAM built in, there are some apps (games most likely) that you will not be able to install on the Lumia 610.

If you still insists on this phone, there's currently a $25 VISA gift card if you order online from koodomobile.ca

Source: koodo mobile

Battle.Net Authenticator for WP7

By now, some of you D3 fans are probably in Inferno level collecting all the good drops and getting killed.

I am still in Act 2 of nightmare.

With the Auction House coming online next week where you can buy and bid for items with real money, it is probably a good idea to keep that battle.net account protected.  Besides have a good strong password, Blizzard have also release the Battle.Net Authenticator for WP7 so you can properly secure your Battle.Net account.

click this to start installation on your WP7 device and follow the instructions on the app once you start the app.

HTC has gone stupid, charges stupid $ for HTC Location Navigation

A few weeks back, the HTC OEM app Locations had a pretty good upgrade where it finally brought offline maps and navigation to the HTC WP7 masses for free at the time with the promise to starts charging for navigation within the month.  Well, I had thought that maybe they will have a change of heart since they probably need this app to do battle with the pretty darn awesome Nokia Drive app on the Nokia handsets.  Even if they didn't, I would imagine that they would charge a reasonable low amount.

I had the chance to try it out in a recent trip to Seattle.  There are some UI oddities that I didn't care for, some bugs but all-in-all, it worked pretty well (on the HTC Surround, it was a little bit slow when zooming in and out of the maps), GPS tracking was good, finding POI was good.

Well, apparently HTC has gone off the deep end and decided to charge, $9.99 for All of North America per month, $39.99 for 1 year, and $49.99 unlimited.

HTC has already admitted defeat in North America on the Android vs. iPhone front but this move, to our HTC owners, is just plain absurd.

The Zune crashing bug?  Doesn't happen on my Lumia 800, doesn't happen on my wife's Dell Venue Pro, doesn't happen on my friend's LG or Samsung Focus.  Only HTC Surround and likely the HD7 is affected.  HTC has a fix but refuses to release it to older hardware (not sure about the HTC Radar - if you have an HTC Radar and subscribes to Zune, feel free to drop a comment on whether or not this is affecting you)

Source: wpcentral

Exclusive apps coming to your Nokia handsets!

Well, looks like Nokia is really putting in the effort to try to push the WP7 platform which is great news.  I have recently upgraded to the Lumia 800 from my HTC Surround and so far, I am very impressed with Nokia's effort in comparison to HTC's subpar effort with their own OEM applications (only way - other then the hardware chassis, WP7 manufacturers can distinguish themselves from other WP7 manufacturers).

I'll post my review of the Lumia 800 in a little while (factory unlocked one btw so I get all the firmware first).

There are plenty of news from Nokia coming out from the CTIA conference being held this week.  Exclusive apps, games are coming very soon to you (and me now).  Not sure how many of them are Canada bound but I'll try to list out the exclusive apps that are coming soon if you are a Nokia Lumia owner.

Some are available now, the ones that are available now will have a link for your installation enjoyment

• The Caddie + (no ads) - already available in the marketplace.  It's not in the Nokia Collection listings yet but just search for it on your phone.  or click here on your wp7 handset
• The PGA Tour App
• ESPN (I know there the ESPN Sports Centre app right now but this apparently is different) - still can't find it just yet
• Rovio - Angry Birds Space (Guess they are both Finnish companies), plus they now have a dedicated team that will create more WP7 for the Lumia phones first
• EA - FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Jam, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®, Mirror's Edge and Yahtzee.
• Groupon - exclusive features for Nokia users for the first 6 months
• Tripdots - Exclusive to Windows Phone customers for 3 months from launch
  Tripdots helps vehicle owners optimize their driving behaviors while connecting with other vehicle owners and sharing driving efficiency achievements via social networks. The app lets users monitor the operation of their vehicles to enable cost savings through better understanding fuel economy.  Everyone can participate in the MPG Leader Board game, and information is only sent to drivers after their trip is complete.
• PayPal app for Windows PhonePayPal and Nokia will work together to bring PayPal's secure, fast and easy payments capabilities to the Windows Phone platform and Nokia Lumia smartphones, globally. PayPal will leverage the power of Windows Phone Live Tiles to create a compelling user experience that provides users with the flexibility to pay on-the-go.
• AOL Entertainment Hub - exclusive to Nokia Lumia for 6 months
  Available exclusively to Nokia Lumia users at launch, AOL is set to introduce the AOL Entertainment Hub, bringing together the best of AOL's content to deliver an immersive and inter-connected experience on Windows Phone. Whether you want to listen to one of 55,000 radio stations via SHOUTcast, stream free music albums with AOL's Listening Party or view Trailers and Movie listings, the AOL Entertainment Hub delivers everything you need.
• Time Magazine app for Windows Phone
  Bringing the world's largest weekly circulation to mobile, TIME.com announces the forthcoming availability of TIME for Windows Phone. Utilizing the stunning Windows Phone UI, the app will enable users to view TIME.com content, receive breaking news alerts, watch rich media content including video and share stories via the Windows Phone People Hub, while delivering the latest news and stories to users first via Live Tiles.
• Newsweek - The Daily Beast app for Windows Phone
  For a smart, speedy take on the news from around the world, combined with the depth and investigative power of Newsweek magazine, we are pleased to announce the availability of Newsweek's digital partner The Daily Beast on Windows Phone. The Daily Beast app delivers the latest content through Live Tiles and combines the unique style of The Daily Beast with the Windows Phone UI to deliver a stunning experience. For users who only have minutes to digest the latest news, the app also delivers The Cheat Sheet - your one stop must have reads from across the world - uniquely designed for Windows Phone.
• Box app for Windows PhoneThe new Windows Phone app from Box, the company focused on providing workers with simple, secure sharing from anywhere, will be available to Nokia Lumia consumers this Summer. With support for nine languages, Box for Windows Phone will enable users across the globe to browse, search and share files from their account. 

Honestly, I don't know what I would think if I still have an HTC/Samsung/LG handset.  Hopefully, this would put them on notice and put more effort into their OEM apps because at least Nokia is trying to make it work.  So far, after 1.5 week of Nokia Lumia 800 ownership, I am a bit glad I swtich to the Nokia camp.  Stay tuned for my review on the Lumia 800 but so far, all I can that with the exception of the  external speakers on my HTC Surround, I am glad I switched.

Source: Nokia

Nokia Lumia 710 now available at WIND and soon to Mobiliticy

The Nokia Lumia 710 is now available at WIND and soon at Mobilicity

The price at WIND is a very competitive $259.00

With WINDTab25 it's $99
and on WINDTab40 it is $0

Just some specs here in case you are interested:

CPU: 1.4 Ghz single core
Camera: (back only) 5mp
Storage: 8GB on board (not expandable)
Battery: 1300mAh
Screen Size: 3.7" Clearblack LCD

Check out more info at WIND here

Source: WIND

Keep that 25GB on your Skydrive!

Microsoft has recently announced that the 25GB your skydrive is getting for free right now will no longer be that as most skydrive useres uses a lot less.

So what MS is doing is scaling back the Skydrive storage from 25GB to 7GB for all the users who currently have less than 7GB stored in their SkyDrive.

In case you want to keep that 25GB for all your WP7 SkyDrive auto pictures upload awesome, there is still a way for you to keep your 25GB.

Simply hit this link and it will take you to your Skydrive->Manage Storage webpage (Or sign on to SkyDrive website and on the left of the page, there is a "Manage Storage" link you can hit.  From there, select the free 25GB for Free!  and you are set.  Please note that this is for limited time only so head on over and keep that free cloud storage space!

On another note, the long overdue, skydrive desktop applications are now available for Windows 7 and Mac. On the Mac front, it appears you will need to be on 10.7.X of OS/X to install the skydrive app.

Enjoy!

*Update* - the offer is over, you can still click the link and see if you can still get the free upgrade :)

Unlocked Dell Venue Pro for cheap at Newegg.ca

If you are looking for a cheap, portrait keyboard slider WP7, there was only one available.  It was never available in Canada but newegg.ca now got some in stock and on sale at a very good price for $229.99 with free shipping.

It will work on Fido/Rogers 2G network but not the 3G network.  It's a Tmobile USA version so the only 3G network it will support is WIND/Mobilicity and whatever local carrier that uses the 1700 Mhz 3G band.  It WILL NOT WORK on TELUS/BELL has TELUS/BELL do not support EDGE or GSM.

Please note that warranty details if you are interested in this phone.  Please also noticed that Mango is likely the last firmware you will get for this phone as Dell is no longer manufacturing this phone and their position in the smartphone market is bleak.

I just ordered one for my wife for use on the Fido network as she really doesn't care about the data plans.  She isn't a phone savvy type people so she's not going to care about whether or not it gets more firmware updates. (Mango is already pretty damn great).

If you are on WIND/Mobilicity (and you have coverage where you are), it's definitely a good consideration.

click here to head over to newegg.ca

*Update* - looks like the new price is now at $219.99 (*&(*!@#()!@#!%#@Q$).  Anyhow, newegg.ca does NOT offer price protection so double *(%&$@#$@$ for me

Excellent Word games for your WP7

If you are into spelling games like Scrabble, the first thing you would noticed that in the WP7 marketplace, popular titles on the iPhone/Android phones like Word with Friends are missing.  Personally I am just glad Zynga hasn't invade the WP7 spaces with virtual cows and imaginary chickens.  

There are 3 excellent spelling type games that you should definitely have on your WP7 handset.  Best of all, they are all FREE!

Spell It!

Spell It is one of the original scrabble type game to appear since the launch of WP7.  Large user base means that you don't have to wait forever after starting a game for your opponent to respond.  Support games up to 4 players.  Like all the non-scrabble word games, it has it's unique board layout. Supports fast app switching!  Click here to install

Words BY POST (FREE)

I had played word with friends but one of my biggest complaint (also my friends) is that it doesn't keep track of how you are doing against each other.  Words BY POST changes that by keeping records against your opponents so you know how badly you are beating your friends or how badly they are kicking your ass.

Your friends don't have WP7 devices? other than "convincing" them they should get with the program and get a spiffy new WP7 device, Words BY POST are also available on iPhones and Android handsets so you can challenge your friends on other mobile platforms.  You can invite your friends via facebook posting as well.

Words BY POST is an ad driven app but does have a paid version that is Ad free.  Get it here

Wordament

Wordament is an unique spelling where at any given moment, you are challenging all the other players on the Interwebs who are playing the same game at the same time.  2 mins to swipe and spell all the words you can find on a 4x4 tile board.

Fast face, addictive and fun.  Definitely worth a try.  Get Wordament here

So what does being a Featured App on the Canadian WP7 marketplace mean?

As a casual WP7 developer, I am always interested in seeing what happens when an app is "featured" in the Canadian WP7 marketplace.

I am also confused about how an app is "featured" but since my normal job keeps me pretty busy, I never had the chance to look.

That is until this morning when I woke up to check out the new applications and and the featured apps.  And man was I surprised to find that something I wrote was front and center on the featured apps list.

Canada Border Wait Times was listed in the featured app section and man was I surprised.  I released this app around the beginning of February and it constantly sits in the top 50 in the travel & navigation category within the marketplace.  Last I checked, it was again hovering between 40-45 spot within the category.

I will report back in a few days with the results of what happens to this app when it gets featured.  I have already seen an increase in the ads impressions report.

Before Being Featured:
                    impressions per day avg: 20
                    estimate revenue per day avg: 1.5 cents
                    downloads per day avg: 5
                    downloads per month: 64
                    spot in travel & navigation free category: 40-45

After Being Featured (also coincide with Easter Weekend so I am pretty sure it is skewed):
                    impressions per day avg: 150
                    estimate revenue per day (it's only been 2 days): 30 cents

I will report back in a few days' time once apphub updates with the figures

Few things you will noticed if you are using free ad-driven apps:

• Ads are annoying but still don't get indie wp7 developers like myself anything close to being significant (considering subscription to appHub is $99 + tax a year)
• Not every developer is Rovio (maker of Angry Birds) or OMGPOP (makers of Draw Something)
• Clicking on apps increases the revenue but no one actually clicks on the ads (next time you use a free, ad driven app, click on the ads once in awhile.. That's why WP7 has a "back" button")

Other tidbits:

• My wife does laugh at me for being so happy for making 30 cents a day these last couple of days - I do tell her it's 30 times better than before)
• Microsoft pay threshold is $50 for ads.. before you say MS is evil and is all about $$$, Google's pay threshold is $100 for ads - this blog since the beginning 1.5 year ago has 15K visitors which yielded a grand total of $10.18 that I can't have 
• 15K visitors to this blog also only yielded 10 ad clicks

Looks like Bestbuy Canada is finally paying attention to Nokia Lumias

If you were looking for Lumia 710, Lumia 800 on the Bestbuy website, chances, you have to search for it and sometimes searching for Lumia 710 gets you no result.

Well, looks like that's changing.  The screen capture here is part of the welcome page at Bestbuy.ca and lo-and-behold, the awesomeness of the Nokia Lumia 900.

Nice to finally see the Lumia 900 finally getting some love from Bestbuy.ca

The product page at the time of this post contains no information on the release date but it appears to be very imminent (consider that the Lumia 710 is still no where to be found on Bestbuy.ca).  The Lumia is getting some search love but only the black one is available from Bestbuy.ca

Check out the product link here

Source: bestbuy.ca

How to Transfer stuffs to a new Windows Phone

With all the new and sexy Lumia phones coming out, some of us WP7 users are seriously thinking about upgrades and/or already have.  So if you have an existing WP7 devices, how do you move your contacts and your apps over to your new WP7 handset?

Fortunately, with the launch of the Lumia 900 in the US, the Windows Team Blog has a pretty good post for those of you upgrading from an old WP7 device to a shiny new one.

Head on over to the Windows Team Blog and check it out!

Nokia Lumia 710 coming soon to WIND!

Over at MobileSyrup, they are reporting that the Nokia assault on Canada is continuing with the Nokia Lumia 710 making its way over to WIND.  So this will be WIND's second WP7 phone besides the HTC Radar (tried it, liked it, very solid build - I am still holding for a Lumia 800 or 900)

The release date it claims should be sometime in April.

Would be interesting to see how this will be priced since the outright price at Rogers is  $254.99.  Will this force Rogers to finally release this phone on Fido?

All I know is that WIND needs some high end WP7 phones.  How about some 800/900 love?

Competition is always good I guess.. now if they can just get some better phones... but it's a good start.

Source: MobileSyrup

At least Canadian Carriers aren't AT&T

If you thought your Canadian Wireless Carriers hates you, you are not along, from the endless 3 yr contracts to the one of the highest mobile phone rates in the world, that crosses my mind everyday (especially if you have been to Hong Kong where $40 HKD - around $5.50 or so Cdn) gets you around 1000 minutes in airtime on a temporary SIM card you can buy from 7-Eleven on any network.

At least Robellus (and some say WIND) are not AT&T.

Besides the crappy coverage, AT&T just announced that they will not push out the Mango 8107 update to any of their current WP7 handsets (guess Lumia is pre-shipped with it) where it fixes the sometime disappear keyboard problem.  Yes the same firmware updates we Canadians have been enjoying the last month and a bit (if you haven't got it yet, remember to plug your phone into Zune or the Windows Phone Connector on your Mac)

Good thing Americans only have to sign their life away 2 years at a time.  Bring on the Lumia 900!

Nokia Lumia 900 pre-order available at Rogers

The 3rd Nokia movement known as the Lumia 900 is now available for pre-order over at Rogers.

Strangely, only the black one is available at the moment.

This is a 4.3" version of the beautiful Nokia 800 with a front facing camera plus support for LTE

New customers can pre-order one at $99.99 on a 3 yr term with a minimal ($45/month) plan - strangely lower than more smartphone subsidized plans as they are normally $50/month for the subsidies to kick in.

If you preorder, you are eligible to win a private pre-screening of Dark Knight Rises and other prizes.

No outright prices or official release date available yet but at least it is getting closer!

Check this out for more information!

Nokia Lumia 800 on sale at Telus + Good Reviews!

Wow, that was fast, less than a week after official release, the Lumia 800 can now be had at Telus for $24.99 (3 yr term or $50 per month or more plan)

It's part of a smartphone sale at Telus that will last until March 31

Looks like quite a few people have picked up the phone judging from the number of customer reviews in less than a week's time.  The average scores for the reviews so far is a excellent 4.7/5 stars from 22 reviews I saw this morning.  The "low" scores mostly come from the battery life but Nokia is in the middle of rolling out the battery fix which some websites have been significant battery life improvement due to the battery drain improvement while the phone is idle

So head on over to Telus and check out this sale and the reviews!

Developer Movement - Rewards are arriving?

It looks that the Canada only Developer Movement is for real and are finally doling out the rewards.  This program was start around last Christmas solely targeting Canadian developers

Just received an email yesterday alerting that my app publication from a month ago qualifies me for the first reward choice which is one of:

• A Kinect^™ Sensor for Xbox 360^®
• 10,000 Microsoft Points
• Monster^® Beats^™Headphones
• A 1TB External HD

The current one I am working on should qualify myself for additional goodies upon marketplace publication (haven't even really started yet) is one of:

• A Windows^® Phone 7
• A $500 Gift Voucher
• 35,000 Microsoft Points
• An Xbox 360^® with
  Kinect Bundle

As I have said before, these rewards look pretty good.  The Windows Phone 7 device is interesting as there are no mentioned of what it actually is (just that it is around $499 retail value).  What could it possibly be? (I am only speculating but if one of you WP7 developers out there knows what is it, please share)

There's still time to sign up if you haven't already, Canada only for once :)

This runs until May 20, 2012 (guess it means you must have your app published in the marketplace before then)

what's your choice of reward?  

Development Movement (again, Canadian developers only)

Skype Beta is now available for WP7

Whoops, it was actually available couple days ago.

Note that Skype for WP7 is only in beta so expect bugs.  It does also work fine even if you don't have a front facing camera.

You will not be able to search for it in the Canadian Marketplace.

click this link on your WP7 device to get to the marketplace to install it or use bing vision against this QR code.  Happy skyping!

Smoked by Windows Phone

By now, some of you might have heard of something called #smokedbywindowsphone.

For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a Microsoft Campaign that started small at this year's CES by @BenThePCGuy (who works for Microsoft of course).

The challenge is that his claim is that the Windows Phone can do things faster than your smartphone could on everyday tasks like tweeting, posting stuff on facebook, etc.  If he cannot beat you with his HTC Titan, he will give the challenger $100 US for winning.  The cost of losing to him?  Say on camera that your phone was smoked by a windows phone.

Of course the chances of him coming up to Canada for any Windows Phone launch is very remote, but it is very fun to see these videos.

In a recent trip to california Microsoft store, his record was a stunning 37-0 (I think he was like 30-3 at CES - narrowly losing to couple of iPhone 4s and a Galaxy S II or something like that).

Here are some videos from the windowsphone website

Also, Wpcentral has reported that this #SmokedbyWindowsPhone campaign has spread to Hong Kong where they are offering people $1000HKD (around $125 Cdn) should they beat WP7 and so far they have an 32-0 record.

Just for fun I took my HTC Surround up against my friend's Samsung Galaxy S and smoked it good with simply taking a picture and posting on facebook.

What was really surprising was that just for fun I tried opening a website (cached cleared of course) against the brand spanking new Galaxy Nexus.  And was I surprised to see that on opening 10 different websites (full sites, not the mobile site), even my HTC Surround took 7 out of 10 websites opening away from the Galaxy Nexus.

So there you have it, try using your year old WP7 (Mango updated of course) to have some fun with your friends!

Source: WPCentral, windowsphone.com

Canada Border Wait Times App is now available

If you travel to the US a lot and want to see the wait times for the land border entry points, my new app have just been released in the WP7 marketplace and is ready for your enjoyment.  As usual, it's FREE so go forth and click on those ads!!! (I am kidding).. but please do take time to rate it.

Shows US bound land border wait times from entry points from across Canada where information is available.
- includes vehicle wait time information for regular vehicle passengers, NEXUS lanes and Ready lanes
- available US bound border crossings information from:

BC (including Point Roberts!) - folks in the GVRD area can also download this if you are looking for traffic cams of places around GVRD
Alberta
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick



Use your Bing Vision to grab it here: 






Or click here if you are already browsing in your awesome Wp7 phone

HTC Radar coming soon to WIND!!!

Looks like WIND is finally going to start selling their first ever WP7 handset.
Their first (hopefully of many) WP7 handset will be the HTC Radar - which interesting is the first gen 2 HTC WP7 handset that will be available in Canada.

No pricing information available yet.

You can sign up and be the first to know about the release date and pricing information.




Here are the specs in case you are wondering:

• Processor: 1 Ghz Single Core CPU
• Screen Size: 3.8", Super LCD
• Camera: 5MP
• Front Camera: Yes - VGA camera (that's 640x480 for you young kids)
• Weight: 136g
• Battery - 1520mAh (not replaceable, at least not without taking the phone apart)
• User memory - 8GB

Source: WIND