Chase Bank now says their Windows Phone app can be used 'until further notice'

The Chase Support Twitter account is now telling customers that its Windows Phone app, which was removed from the Windows Phone Store in January, will continue to work for anyone who still uses it "until further notice."

Previously, Chase Bank indicated that the Windows Phone app would stop working on March 22. However, the Chase Support Twitter page has now been telling customers that they can keep using the app. We got the same message when we asked Chase Support if the Windows Phone app would continue to work for its customers past its previously announced shutdown date. Its response? "At this time, you may continue using the Windows Phone app until further notice."This would appear to be a small change but a welcome one for Windows Phone owners who have kept the now discontinued Chase Mobile app installed on their smartphones. We will continue to monitor this situation and will report if Chase does in fact decide to cease support of the app.

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Bank of America ends support for its Windows Phone and Windows apps

Bank of America has followed through with the removal of their app from the Windows Phone and Windows Stores. In addition, the app itself no longer functions, which is a departure from the route Chase Bank is taking.

Bank of America announced at the end of January that they were discontinuing support for their Windows and Windows Phone apps due to low market penetration. As an alternative, the company has told customers that they can use the online web version on their mobile site.

Here is what Cortana's new Showtimes + Trailers feature looks like (Update)

At the end of February, we reported that Cortana had picked up a few more Interests for users to select optionally. One of those was Showtimes + Trailers, which as the name implies has to do with movies playing nearby.

When we wrote that article, the feature itself was not live, but today we noticed that information had finally started to percolate into our Cortana feed.

The feature is self-evident, giving you movie recommendations and even some showtimes plus locations. The movies suggested change when Cortana refreshes its feed, so they are not always the same.

VLC for Windows Phone sheds the beta tag in latest update

VLC picked up an update that sees the media player shedding the beta tag. The app is now just called VLC for Windows Phone. The update also brings minor UI changes.

The app has seen significant improvements since it launched as a beta on the platform late last year. VLC is now a universal app, with developer Thomas Nigro stating that most of the code is shared between the Windows Phone and Windows versions.

HD video playback issues were cited by several users after the last update, and that seems to have been fixed. We at least did not encounter any issues when playing back HD videos through VLC.

Download VLC for Windows Phone

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Start menu transparency revealed in latest Windows 10 build leak

Screenshots of Windows 10 build 10031 have leaked online today, revealing a transparency effect that has been applied to the Start Menu. Microsoft previously said that transparency would not only be hitting Windows 10, but Windows 10 for the phone too.

Looking at the screenshot, it's clear to see a rather subtle effect on the menu itself, though no other part of the OS appears to be altered as-of-yet. Microsoft is expected to release a new build of the Windows Phone technical preview soon, which should contain Project Spartan.

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Microsoft's Spartan browser set to arrive in the next Windows 10 preview

The next version of Microsoft's web browser, Project Spartan is expected to hit the next Windows 10preview release. Microsoft's Kevin Gallo, the technical lead for Windows universal apps, confirmed the news today at Mobile World Congress, though an accurate date of release has yet to be provided.

Microsoft has made some major changes in Project Spartan, creating a brand new render engine called Edge. Gallo demonstrated numerous universal apps today using an unreleased version of the Windows 10 preview.

We'll likely have more details on the next release for testers, and if Spartan is indeed included in the next update, soon enough. What are you most looking forward to in Microsoft's new web browser?

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 will add support for Bluetooth keyboards

Microsoft has confirmed, via a product page on its newly revealed Universal Foldable Keyboard, thatWindows Phone 8.1 Update 2 will add support for Bluetooth keyboards.

This has been a long awaited, and much requested, feature for Windows Phone owners. Today's reveal of Microsoft's Universal Foldable Keyboard seems to confirm that those Windows Phone users will finally be able to use that accessory and other Bluetooth-enabled keyboards in the near future.

Microsoft has yet to announce much in the way of details for Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2, including when it will be made available for download. Bluetooth keyboard support is also planned for theupcoming phone version of Windows 10.

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