Windows Phone 8: all the rumors ahead of the official launch – The Verge

Windows Phone 8 will reportedly include screen capture functionality

2012-07-17T02:52:41-04:00

Gallery Photo: Windows Phone 8 new start screen

Despite iOS and most Android devices having screenshot capabilities baked in, Microsoft's Windows Phone doesn't officially support the feature. This is about to change in Windows Phone 8, according to WPDang. Microsoft is reportedly modifying its mobile OS to support screen capture through the Windows key and camera button. The screenshot will then be saved into the Photo hub in Windows Phone.

Although the feature is rarely used, it has been sorely missed by reviewers and developers alike. Jailbroken Windows Phones can take advantage of some homebrew third-party options, but native support in Windows Phone 8 will please those wishing to share …

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Windows Phone 8 will reportedly include lock screen notification improvements

2012-07-12T06:13:42-04:00

Windows Phone notifications

Microsoft has revealed very little about the user interface improvements in its upcoming Windows Phone 8 release. Aside from an improved Start Screen with smaller tiles, the company is holding back its other plans for tweak the operating system elsewhere. WPCentral has revealed that Microsoft is planning some lock screen notification improvements for Windows Phone 8.

Existing Windows Phone 7.5 devices support phone, mail, and messaging notifications, but Windows Phone 8 is said to support third-party app notifications. WPCentral says there's four options for developers to take advantage of the lock screen, which would mean the customization …

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Windows Phone 8 adds DirectX, native development, easier app porting

2012-06-20T12:35:12-04:00

via d35lb3dl296zwu.cloudfront.net

At its Windows Phone summit, Microsoft set the tone by talking a lot about "shared core" - it's practically a new mantra. Here's one way we'll see that in action: a native game development platform based on DirectX. A "common platform" for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8, which is to say there's a shared kernel across the platforms. Shared hardware drivers and the "hardware-based security" of Windows.

More simply put, developers should be able to quickly port their games to Windows Phones without re-writing a lot of code. Kevin Gallo, who runs the Developer Platform for Windows 8, said that some of the tools game developers already use will b …

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Lumia 900 won’t be sold by T-Mobile in Germany due to lack of WP8 upgrade path

2012-06-20T06:56:28-04:00

Lumia 900 white

Putting another obstacle in Nokia's path to selling its Lumia range as widely as possible, T-Mobile's German arm has decided that it won't stock the Lumia 900 Windows Phone handset. This comes on the heels of multiple European carriers expressing discontent with the quality of the Windows Phone user experience, but seems to have been motivated by an additional factor. A member of T-Mobile's support team in Germany has revealed, after asking around inside the company, that the reason the Lumia 900 won't be making an appearance on the company's shelves has to do with Windows Phone 8 - specifically, the fact that this new phone won't be upgrade …

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Windows Phone 8 shown running on 64GB Vertu with integrated SkyDrive storage?

2012-06-14T04:07:40-04:00

Windows Phone 8 vertu rumor (WPXAP)

Following the leak of several alleged Windows Phone 8 screenshots earlier this week, additional images appear to have surfaced. Chinese site wpxap has posted a number of photos of what it says is a Vertu device running Windows Phone 8. The photos show a device with 64GB of storage, identified as a Vertu in the operating system's settings menu. Vertu was Nokia's luxury phone arm that the company has agreed to sell to private equity group EQT this week.

While we can't be certain this is a genuine Windows Phone 8 build running on a Vertu, one particular screenshot shows a SkyDrive cloud storage settings menu. The menu is not present in the cur …

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Windows Phone 8 screenshots allegedly leak, show Skype integration and new camera UI

2012-06-13T03:52:25-04:00

Windows Phone 8 leaked screenshots (Nokia Innovation)

Microsoft is widely expected to unveil Windows Phone 8 at a special event next week, but more details about the mobile operating system appear to have leaked ahead of its debut. Nokia Innovations has posted several screenshots that seem to show how Skype will be integrated into Windows Phone 8. One particular screenshot shows an incoming video call that looks like Windows Phone's native calling app, another shows Skype and RCSe integration in the People Hub.

The site has also posted a screenshot of what is claimed to be the new camera UI for Windows Phone 8. The simple layout includes a slider on the left to adjust zoom and a button to swit …

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Windows Phone 8: Nokia Maps will reportedly replace Bing Maps with 3D navigation

2012-06-12T07:42:04-04:00

Nokia Maps stock

We're just just over a week away from Microsoft's promised "sneak peek" at the future of Windows Phone and details about the next mobile operating system appear to be leaking out. Nokia Maps will replace Bing Maps in all Windows Phone devices, according to WPCentral - coupled with 3D navigation and hardware acceleration.

We know that Bing Maps will bear the Nokia name, and a unified map design along with recent traffic results updates all point towards a merging of Nokia and Bing Maps. WPCentral also reiterates what we know about Windows Phone 8: Skype integration, an NFC wallet experience, and camera improvements, but the site warns Micros …

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Microsoft promises a ‘sneak peek’ at the future of Windows Phone on June 20th

2012-06-04T14:58:21-04:00

Windows Phone developer summit invite

Microsoft previously announced its Windows Phone Developer Summit early last month, but the company didn't reveal exactly what it was planning to show. We received an updated invitation today that hints Windows Phone 8 might be on the agenda. "A sneak peek of the future of Windows Phone" is promised in the latest invite for the June 20th event. While there's no direct mention of Windows Phone 8, we've heard from our own sources that this event will introduce developers to new ways of creating apps for the new Windows 8-based kernel of Windows Phone 8.

Windows Phone 8 is expected to include improved hardware support for multi-core processors …

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Huawei rumored to be working on Windows 8 phones and tablet

2012-04-25T10:19:37-04:00

Huawei logo

Despite saying on record last year that it was interested in producing Windows Phones, Huawei has yet to introduce a smartphone running Microsoft's mobile OS. According to WPDang, Huawei has put together a group of 70 or so engineers to focus on a phone based on Apollo as well as a new Windows 8 tablet with a built-in LTE connection. The company also reportedly has a team in the US working with Microsoft to coordinate these efforts. There's minimal details on what the phone might look like aside from the note that it'll have a screen larger than four inches - not exactly surprising, given the trend towards mega-screened devices lately. While …

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Microsoft developer evangelist retracts claim that Mango devices will get Apollo

2012-04-19T08:52:30-04:00

lumia 900 cyan green background stock

Microsoft developer evangelist Nuno Silva has retracted comments from an interview earlier this week, in which he claimed that every Windows Phone sold to date should be getting the upgrade to the next "major version of Windows Phone," contradicting our sources on the matter. Silva says today that he was merely attempting to make the point "that existing Windows Phone applications will run on the next version of Windows Phone," and that he "mistakenly confused app compatibility with phone updateability." It's not a total surprise given what we've heard elsewhere, but it's still sad to see a glimmer of hope vanish so quickly for Mango users. …

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