For those who are anxious to pick up the Lumia 640 or the Lumia 640XL, you may have a few weeks of waiting if the German, UK and French Microsoft Stores is any indication. The online store has posted the availability of the Lumia 640 for pre-order but delivery is not until mid-April. While this is certainly more than has been posted on the US Microsoft Store, you can assume safely that the wait times will be similar.
The updates just keep coming to 6Tag for Windows Phone. The popular and far superior Instagram app has seen its forth update in 5 days and continues to add new features. Usually when you see daily updates to an app it is to fix issues with the original big release. Not the case with 6Tag. The latest update has just dropped and it is version 4.0.4 for those keeping score at home. In this update there are two new features: A refresh button and a the use of geolocation from the image when you edit the post.
One of the biggest challenges-meets-disappointments with the first release of the Windows 10 for Phone Preview was the limited number of devices which were supported. Adding to that pain was the lack of high end devices being supported. As I’ve posted in my Initial Thoughts on the release, be careful what you wish for as it was and still is pretty rough. That said, it looks like hope is on the horizon.
Microsoft’s Gabe Aul from the Windows Insider program has Tweeted this morning that the next release of the Windows 10 for Phone Preview will indeed support more devices. In a reply to a question being asked on the subject, he replied with the following Tweet
@Medioholik @jainankit85 The next update will have support for more phones.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) March 5, 2015
While which devices will be included is not clear from the Tweet, it should be encouraging to Windows Phone fans that more support will be coming to more devices.
The popular multiple social networking sharing app Sharit has received a major update today, bringing with it a whole list of updates and changes to the popular app. Sharit for Windows Phone is now updated to version 2.0 for those keeping score at home and if you are one who likes to update your Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Linked and other social networks with one simple post, this is the app for you. It has an outstanding user experience and makes posting immediately or scheduling posts later across all your social networks quick and easy.
Three of the MSN apps for Windows Phone have seen updates but unlike previous updates, we actually get a clue as to what was added or fixed! The MSN Sports, MSN Travel and MSN Weather for Windows Phone apps have all seen updates that bring either performance improvements or bug fixes to each of them. The updates, version 3.1.4.487 for MSN Travel and MSN Weather apps and 3.1.4.486 for the MSN Sports app for those keeping score at home, are available now in the Windows Phone store. As these are all universal apps by definition in our Windows 8.1 world, these updates likely will make their way to the Windows App Store as well. As of this writing, only MSN Travel was listed as an update.
For MSN Sports, the update squarely focuses on performance improvements in this update. What exactly was done to the app to improve the performance is not laid out in the Release Notes.
MSN Sports for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now
The Remote Desktop app for Windows Phone has been updated today, shedding the “preview” tag and added a few new features for users. The update, version 8.1.8.13 for those keeping score at home, is what everyone should consider the first release of the app given it has been in preview (i.e. beta) for many, many months. If you have the Remote Desktop app installed on your device, the update can be installed right over it so no need to uninstall/reinstall.
The popular Windows Phone photo editing app Afterlight is now a universal app and available for your Windows 8.1 PC or Tablet. Afterlight is a powerful photo editing app that allows you to make quick edit and adjustments to your photos with a load of different filters, textures and frames. To this point the .99 Cent app has been only available on Windows Phone but the update today, version 1.1.0 for those keeping score at home, is universal. That means if you have already bought the app for Windows Phone you now have it available for your PC or Tablet. This includes any in-app purchases you have made as well as the app itself.
Afterlight for Windows Phone – .99 Cents (In-App Purchases) – Download Now
Afterlight for Windows – .99 Cents (In-App Purchases) – Download Now
This week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona we have already seen some interesting developments for Windows and Windows Phone. First, we saw the announcement of the new Lumia 640 and Lumia 640XL, two mid-range devices that Microsoft will be launching globally, including here in the United States. On the same day we saw Microsoft discuss in great detail Universal apps and the architecture underneath those apps for all things running Windows 10. That latter point has garnered a lot of attention as it should. Microsoft is general and Windows Phone in particular has been a fragmented mess that the company has essentially rebooted three times now. They have to get it right with Windows 10 for Phones and universal apps will be a key part of that success. I’ve said as much in the past and continue to believe that is the case. I’ve encouraged developers to keep the faith as universal apps will make their lives and the lives of consumers easier in a Windows 10 world.
But universal apps in themselves will not save Windows Phone. If anyone reading this believe that is the case, I’m sorry, but you are misguided. They will play a big role, but they cannot be the only thing that changes if the platform on mobile is to survive. It will take a level of marketing that Microsoft has never done with Windows Phone, a commitment – with consequences – from carriers, and partnerships that may seem unholy but are necessary. The problems with Windows Phone go much deeper than Universal apps and lack of developers. It’s a fundamental perception problem.