Category: Windows Phone

Last week Microsoft announced that OneDrive had been updated to allow for music to be stored by users in the cloud service and stream them to your various Windows powered devices and Xbox.  The update was free to all OneDrive users and there were some extra bonuses for those who are Xbox Music Pass subscribers.  At the time of the launch Microsoft also released an updated version of Xbox Music for Windows Phone to support this integration of the service with OneDrive.  Now they have released an update that addresses some issues with the app but also includes a tutorial of how the integration works.  The update, version 2.6.674.0 for those keeping score at home, is available now in the Windows Phone Store.

Xbox Music for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

It has been 40 days since the first Windows 10 for Phone Technical Preview was released to Windows Insiders and unfortunately, there isn’t an update in sight.

Earlier this morning Microsoft’s Gabe Aul posted on Twitter about the updates now available for the Windows 10 Technical Preview for PCs and Tablets. In the thread of replies he was asked about an update for Windows 10 for Phone. Sadly the news was not good.

@mrmhk97 No news to share on phone build yet.

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) March 24, 2015

Like the bemoaning that has happened on Windows 10 and the lack of updates, the natives are growing restless with Windows 10 for Phone at this point too.  Microsoft has made it clear that this summer we will see Windows 10 across all devices.  That means testing absolutely needs to get started in earnest across a wide range of Windows Phones.  We know that there will be more phones eligible to run the next update and we also know that the Partition Zipping for higher end phones was needed for it to be loaded onto these devices.  Regardless of this fact the need to get an update out on phones is becoming ever more critical to meet this summer launch date.

Nextgen Reader, the Feedly driven news and RSS app, has received a minor update today, bringing stability improvements along with a handful of new features.  I’ve been using Nextgen Reader since 2011 (Yes, it has been around that long) and I recently wrote a review of it outlining why I think it is the best Feedly/RSS reader available for Windows Phone.  At $2.99 for this universal app for Windows and Windows Phone, it’s well worth the price of admission.  This latest update, version 6.4.0.0 for those keeping score at home, brings mostly stability improvements but also a new personalization features as well.

Note that as of the time of this post that the Windows Phone version of the app had been updated and is available in the Windows Phone Store.  The Windows part of this universal app has not been updated yet but I expect that to happen today.  Regardless, if you buy it for either device, you get its counterpart free as part of the license.

Nextgen Reader for Windows Phone – $2.99 – Download Now

Nextgen Reader for Windows – $2.99 – Download Now

When I returned to Windows Phone in August of last year, I penned an article in November where I discussed the app gap for the platform when compared to iOS and Android.  The basis of that article was that when I left the platform in 2011 for iOS, the gulf of an app gap was so huge that it couldn’t be ignored and it eventually became too much for me to handle.

For those who stuck it out, I applaud you.  You are better than me.

But over the past few weeks I’ve come to realize that I was at a basic level wrong in this article.  Yes there is an app gap for Windows Phone and yes it is a problem.  But the reality is that there are a lot of 3rd party apps in the Windows Phone app store to fill that gap.  The real problem upon reflection is the app update gap.  That is what is frustrating me as a Windows Phone user and fan and based on comments left here on the site and on Twitter, I don’t think I’m alone.

The audio book app Audible for Windows Phone has received a major update, it’s first since 2013 (the same year it was released) and it brings a whole host of new features, fixes and improvements.  If you remember, I told you about the Audible for Windows Phone Beta that has been going on these past few weeks and I even encouraged users to try it as it was so much better than the current “shipping” version of the Audible app.  That beta is now rolled up into the official app and everyone will benefit from it.  The update, version 9.0.1.23 for those keeping score at home, is available now in the Windows Phone store.

Audible for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

The shunning of Windows and Windows Phone by the US banking industry continues in earnest.  After Bank of America dropped support for their Windows and Windows Phone applications earlier this month, Chase has followed suit.  Over the weekend, Chase users who attempted to use the app were greeted with a notification that the app was no longer supported and that users needed to go to the Chase website through their browser.  Like Bank of America, users of Chase also found problems using the mobile website in Internet Explorer on their Windows Phone.

It is just the latest in a series of high profile and important apps being dropped for Windows Phone at a time where the future for the platform and universal apps is as bright as it has ever been.