Category: Microsoft Windows

The social photo sharing app Xim from Microsoft Research has been updated today with several new features for the Windows Phone app.  If you aren’t familiar with Xim, don’t worry, most aren’t.  It is a photo sharing app that allows you to share photos from a variety of locations – Camera Roll, OneDrive, Facebook, Dropbox, Instagram – with others who are on the Xim app.  Think Snapchat in a way.  The good news is the Xim app is available not only for Windows Phone but also for iOS and Android and you can even share photos with Amazon Fire TV sets.  It’s a pretty cool service and like Snapchat, Xim’s die after a certain amount of time.

The update released today, version 1.5.1.0 for those keeping score at home, brings several key updates to the app as well as a host of bug fixes.

Xim for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

It has been a couple of months since the last Age of Empires Castle Siege update but today Microsoft Studios made up for lost time.  Today they have issued an update for the popular tower-defense style game for both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1.  The update, version 1.6.0.14 is available now in their respective Windows and Windows Phone Stores and both are a hefty update with a lot of new features and a boatload of bug fixes.

Age of Empires Castle Siege – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

Age of Empires Castle Siege for Windows Phone – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

6Tag for Windows Phone has received another update today, the third in as many weeks, with several fixes and leveraging the new Instagram API.  The update, version 4.0.5.0 for those keeping score at home, builds on the mega update to version 4.0 a few weeks ago.  This update is a mix of technical updates to improve the app, a bug fix and some new features when it comes to Direct posts on Instagram.

6Tag for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

Yesterday I posted that AT&T is now listing the Lumia 640XL on their website as a device that is “Coming Soon”.  Now T-Mobile has gotten in on the act with the Lumia 640.  When it was launched last week at Mobile World Congress, T-Mobile was one of the first to sign up to get the Lumia 640 along with AT&T and MetroPCS.   While none of the carriers have them in stock yet, T-Mobile is now listing it as “Coming Soon” on their website.

Microsoft’s Gabe Aul has taken to the Windows Blog site to offer up a great piece on the Windows 10 Technical Preview cadence and why dates are not broadcasted out to the public.  The article can be found here and I’m not going to waste your time by rehashing the entire post which is quite lengthy.  The article lays out in great detail the internal processes and testing schedules, the balance of too fast versus too buggy and why they don’t set dates (HINT: It is beta software so if they run into a showstopper internally, they will postpone a release.  They publish a date and miss it, the masses will revolt).  Again, give it a read.  It’s worth it.

What I will do however is say is that I understand the logic that Mr. Aul lays out in this post, particularly around show stopping bugs.  If you have a bug that gets out that crushes every PC it is installed on, you will have a huge problem on their hands.  Microsoft and many sites have pointed out that Windows 10 is in beta and it will be buggy.  Unfortunately a lot of people forget that when they are looking at a BSOD or worse, a corrupt boot sector on their laptop after installing the Preview.  Microsoft cannot afford that kind of misstep.  So they are taking their time.  The question however, is should they risk a little more, particularly on the “Fast Ring”?  I think so and here is why.

AT&T has updated their smartphone section of their website to show that the all new Lumia 640XL is “coming soon” to the carrier.  While there is no date associated with the update on their page, it is generally believed that the Lumia 640XL and the Lumia 640 will both be available around mid-April with pre-orders possibly happening as soon as this week.  You might remember that AT&T will have the exclusive on the Lumia 640XL in the United States – at least for now – with T-Mobile and MetroPCS picking up the Lumia 640 along with AT&T.