Category: Windows Phone 8.1

OneNote has become a serious player in the note taking app space but it is much more than just for notes.  OneNote allows you to create everything from lists to notes with embedded photos to being a platform to sync content from Office Lens or other apps on your Windows PC and Windows Phone.  In Windows Phone there is a big feature that is often overlooked but can be very handy, particularly for lists or a note you need to continually access.  That feature is the ability to pin a note to your Start screen on your Windows Phone.  In this How To I will show you just how to do this in OneNote so you can take advantage of it.

The news over the weekend that Apple’s flagship OS’ where more vulnerable to security threats should not come as a surprise to anyone. As one who formerly used OS X and iOS, I knew it was just a matter of time before the two platforms were targeted and it appears in 2014 that happened.  Why it shouldn’t come as a surprise is simple and comes down to simple target size for hackers.  The key however my fellow Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users is not to gloat to much.  We have been here and know the pain.

One of the many elements of Windows Phone that I like about the platform is the ability to personalize your Start screen experience.  Live Tiles are a big part of that and many apps take advantage of this feature that has been a part of the platform since Windows Phone 8 was released.  One of those features is the ability to set a photo as your Photos Live Tile in Windows Phone 8.1.  The ability to do this has actually been around since the Windows Phone 7 and I actually posted a How To way back in November 2011 on how to do it then.  Today it is a bit easier and more intuitive but it is buried in Settings.  In this How To I’ll show you where it is located and how to set up your favorite photo as Live Tile.

Earlier this week Microsoft announced that effective at the end of March they are ending support for Rooms on Windows Phone.  Then I watched as Twitter lit up with everything from “this is the end of Windows Phone” to “They don’t care about their customers”.

Really?  Really peeps?  Did anyone actually use Rooms?  I have spoken to at least half-a-dozen serious Windows Phone users this week and not one of them used Rooms on Windows Phone.  In fact two of them (the innocent shall be protected) didn’t even know what Rooms was on Windows Phone.  I appreciate that 6 people doesn’t represent everyone in the Windows Phone user base but equally I cannot see how the dismissal of a feature that few knew of really constitutes a crisis.

Before I started writing this post I seriously debated whether to bother with it. But I like to think that I keep everyone reasonably up-to-date with app changes – especially those involving settings on Windows Phones – so thus you have a post.  Microsoft today update the Extras+Info app in Settings for Lumia devices.  The new build, version 3.14.6.2 for those keeping score at home, is available now in the Windows Phone Store.

I have absolutely no idea what changed.

Extras+Info for Lumia Devices – Free – Download Now

Fitbit has released another update to the Fitbit for Windows Phone app, the 4th month in a row that the app has been updated.  The update, version 1.6.206.12403 for those keeping score at home, is mainly focused on improvements for the new Fitbit Charge HR and Surge trackers but there also other changes that all users of the app will appreciate.  Perhaps the most important of those general updates is the shrinking of the app down from 26MB in size to 18MB.  That may not sound like much but it adds up if you have a limited amount of phone storage left on your Windows Phone.

Fitbit for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now