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Wednesday, 31 December 2014

Clock O Matic, a very simple time keeping solution for your Windows Phone


Clock O Matic


Clock O' Matic is a very clean and simple clock app that delivers a world clock, alarm, stopwatch and countdown timer to your Windows Phone. With its no-nonsense interface, Live Tile support and multiple alarm/timer abilities Clock O' Matic is an impressive Windows Phone app.
In using Clock O' Matic, it comes across as an app with a lot of potential. If the developer can address few issues causing stability issues, Clock O' Matic will be an attractive option for those looking for a complete time keeping solution.
Clock O Matic Clock
The layout for Clock O' Matic is somewhat minimalistic with your main page listing the current time and date. Four icons run across the top of the screen that will let you jump between the alarm, clock, timer and stopwatch functions.
At the bottom of the main screen is a World Time button where you can view the current time from all the time zones. There is a keyword search field where you can jump to a specific time zone but searching by city name is not available.
Clock O Matic Alarm
Along with tapping on the icons at the top of the screen to jump around the Clock O' Matic's features, you can also swipe left or right to navigate between the features. These features breakdown as follows:
  • Alarms: Clock O' Matic has support for an unlimited number of alarms. To set an alarm, just tap the + button, tap the time display and choose your alarm time. Once set you can tap on the alarm listing to set the tone and frequency of the alarm, name the alarm and delete it. A toggle switch sits next to the alarm listing to turn the alarm on or off.
  • Timer: As with the alarms, Clock O' Matic has support for an unlimited number of timers. Just tap the + button to add a timer and tap the countdown display to set the duration of the timer. You can label the timers and swipe up/down to move from timer to timer.
  • Stopwatch: Here you will find a basic stopwatch feature with a glowing ring that will pulse as the seconds tick by. Once started, you can tap the + symbol to generate and display a lap time. When you hit the stop button, your time can be shared, resumed or reset.
Tapping the clock display will open a Night Shade Clock, which is basically a full-screen clock with dimmer lights. This would be suited for a bedside table display or when you don't want or need the brighter colored clock display. Live Tile support will display just the time on the medium tile and both the time and date on the larger wide tile.
Timers are not saved once they expire and lack the ability to select a custom alarm tone. The ability to run unlimited timers is nice for multi-tasking such as when you are trying to managing several pots on the stove top.

Overall Impression

I liked the clean appearance of Clock O' Matic and all the features it holds. While it is an attractive clock app, there is room for a little fine-tuning that could add to its appeal.
For starters, the app needs to be able to save timers and offer Live Tile support for the timers. I also wouldn't mind seeing the ability to choose the timer alarms to help distinguish which timer is going off. As far as appearance is concerned, while I like the minimalistic approach, it would be nice to have the ability to change the background color. Lastly, I did encounter stability issues when setting or stopping alarms and timers. The instability doesn't render the app useless but does make it a little frustrating using Clock O' Matic.
Asides from the stability issues, Clock O' Matic can survive as is and has the potential of being an outstanding Windows Phone clock app. The Windows Phone Store listing does note that updates are in the works to bring more customization features that include an analog clock face and hopefully the stability issues will be addressed as well.
At last check, the app pulls in a 4.5 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store, which is where Clock O' Matic should be when it is hitting on all cylinders.
_Please Note:_The app is currently listed as free but the Store description notes that the free, ad-free offer is only for Christmas. Not sure how long this deal will last.
QR: Clock O Matic

Image & News Credits : Windows Central

WatchESPN app makes its Windows Phone debut for sports fanatics

WatchESPN for Windows Phone

Just ahead of ESPN's coverage of the NCAA college football playoffs on New Year's Day, the TV sports network has launched its official WatchESPN app for Windows Phone, after previously launching the app for Windows 8.1.

If your cable TV provider supports it, you can now watch ESPN's programs and live coverage of sports events on your Windows Phone device, along with news updates and more. Here's a breakdown of its features:
The WatchESPN app offers live streaming access to thousands of games and events on the ESPN networks, including:
  • NBA Regular Season and Playoffs
  • Major League Baseball
  • The Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship
  • College Football and Basketball
  • All four Grand Slam tennis events
Get up-to-the-minute news, highlights and analysis with live streaming of your favorite ESPN shows, including:
  • SportsCenter
  • PTI
  • College GameDay
  • Mike & Mike
  • SportsNation
  • Baseball Tonight
Remember, the app will only work if you are a paid subscriber to these cable and satellite TV providers:
  • AT&T U-verse
  • Bright House Networks
  • Charter
  • Comcast XFINITY
  • Cox
  • DISH
  • Google Fiber
  • Midcontinent Communications
  • Optimum
  • Time Warner Cable
  • Verizon FiOS TV
Let us know what you think about the app in the comments!
Access to live streaming video via the WatchESPN apps is available in the U.S. only and is determined by your TV provider.
QR: espn

Twitter has a new advertising channel: your following list

Twitter is now inserting ads into your following list

No matter your school of thought on how you use Twitter, the list of people you follow now includes advertising. The first customer: MasterCard. On the web, and in the official Twitter apps for iPhone andAndroid, you'll find that you, and everybody else, have MasterCard as a promoted entry in your Following list.
Now, this doesn't mean that you're actually following MasterCard — they have just 388,000 followers and not the quarter-million user base of Twitter. It just means that MasterCard has managed to get an ad inserted in every following list tempting you to follow them back (at least on the iOS and web interfaces it's clear that you're not actually following them, the Android app shows the same checkmark button for accounts you're actually following and the MasterCard promotional listing). The left-to-fallow official Twitter apps for BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone, however, aren't showing the sponsored listing, nor are third-party Twitter clients.
While for most of us that's not the worst thing in the world — you're not actually seeing all of MasterCard's tweets, it is an interesting concept for advertising, especially if you're the type that looks at the list of whom somebody else is following. MasterCard is there. Everywhere you look on Twitter's following lists, you'll find MasterCard. Even for Visa and American Express. We're sure they're utterly thrilled about that.
For public figures and companies that can create an interesting conundrum. Many are cognizant of what accounts they follow
Some of suggested blocking the offending account, and it's true that it will remove MasterCard from the sponsored slot in your following list. Problem is, it's simply replaced by another entry like IFC.com.
So yes, your Following list and every Following list you see now contains ads masquerading as follows. You're not actually following them, and Twitter isn't explicitly saying that you are, but MasterCard is there, holding down a spot in your top ten most recent follows.
Source: Windows Central

Microsoft to end sales of original Kinect for Windows sensor in 2015

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Kinect For Windows

Microsoft will begin to phase out sales of its first Kinect for Windows hardware sensor. based on the hardware first released for the Xbox 360 Kinect add-on, sometime in 2015, in favor of the recently launched Kinect for Windows v2, based on the Xbox One version of the hardware.
The company celebrated the original Kinect for Windows device in a blog post today:
"The original Kinect for Windows sensor was a milestone achievement in the world of natural human computing. It allowed developers to create solutions that broke through the old barriers of mouse and keyboard interactions, opening up entirely new commercial experiences in multiple industries, including retail, education, healthcare, education, and manufacturing. The original Kinect let preschoolers play educational games by simply moving their arms; it coached patients through physical rehabilitation; it gave shoppers new ways to engage with merchandise and even try on clothes. The list of innovative solutions powered by the original Kinect for Windows goes on and on."
Today's announcement did not give an exact date for when sales of the first Kinect for Windows sensor will end.
Image & News Source : Windows Central

Create your own animated movie with Stop Motion Studio for Windows Phone

Stop Motion Studio

Do you feel like being creative today? Stop Motion Studio lets you create animated movies directly from your Windows Phone device. You don't need your desktop or laptop at all. Stop Motion Studio also makes it easy to add themed titles, background music, voiceovers, sound effects, and text effects. When you're done, you can upload it to Youtube, share on Facebook, email to friends, or save it on your phone.
When it comes to stop motion movies, you need several consecutive images. Stop Motion Studio is here to make that process easy. To get started, tap the capture button on the top left corner. There's an overlay slider on the left that shows you the differences between frames. It is recommended to attach your Windows Phone device to a tripod, but the overlay mode helps tremendously if you don't have one nearby. Another helpful option available is grid mode, which can be found in the settings. It helps you align your subjects.
Stop motion Studio
The more images you capture, the smoother the animation will look. The workflow looks like this:
  1. Capture image.
  2. Move object.
  3. Repeat.
If you have your Windows Phone attached to a tripod, then you can automatic capture. Stop Motion Studio will automatically take a photo after every few seconds, giving you enough time to move your items.
There are several themes and effects you can add to make your movie even more interesting. This requires an in-app purchase of the Feature Pack. It costs $1.99. Our favorite feature is the ability to record your own sound. This can be a voiceover, which you can insert into any frame.
When you're finished with your movie, you can save it to your device or share it online. Stop Motion Studio gives you several options on how to export the movie. You can save it in 1080p video quality, square aspect ratio for Instagram, or even as an animated GIF
While Stop Motion Studio is a great app to show off your creative skills, we think there's room for improvement. In the future, we'd like to be able to adjust sound volume and add autofocus.
512MB RAM devices supported
QR: Stop Motion Studio
News & Image Credits : Windows Central

Microsoft offers some encouraging stats about 2014's Windows Store downloads and sales

Windows Store

Even as Microsoft gets ready to launch Windows 10 in 2015, the company is taking a quick look back at the improvements it has seen on its Windows Store in the past year.
In a blog post ,Todd Brix, Microsoft's General Manager of its Windows Apps and Store Team, stated:
"We began the year with a commitment to create opportunities for developers with Windows Store. We made good progress by both attracting over 30% more active users and by exceeding a 110% year-over-year increase in app downloads and gross sales. In addition the ecosystem has grown, with an 80% increase in registered developers and 60% increase in app selection year-over-year."
Brix also outlined five topics that Microsoft says it will concentrate on in 2015 as it prepares for the launch of Windows 10, which will have a unified storefront for both Windows and Windows Phone apps. One area is expanding the use of carrier billing for buying Windows apps, which Microsoft recently launched for China, India and Brazil. Another area of improvement will be to offer more app monitiaztion methods. Brix wrote, "We are increasing our focus on in-app advertising to help improve fill rates and grow developer revenue."
Microsoft will continue to improve the Windows app discovery experience, with Brix stating that it has already made changes to the Windows Store user interface to help in that effort, including a new Deals Hub and more promotion for Windows apps. Microsoft is also committed to improving its Windows App Studio tools so that more people can make apps. Finally, Brix says Microsoft will improve the developer publishing experience for Windows, saying, "We have much more work to do to simplify and unify the experience and you can expect the evolution to continue over the coming months."

Easily track your flights with flightHero on windowsphone and windows 8.1

Easily track your flights with FlightHero on Windows Phone and Windows 8.1

Tracking your flights on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone just got a whole lot easier thanks to a new universal app called FlighHero. The app will present you with everything from weather conditions at a given airport to real-time updates on flight tracking information.



FlighHero comes in both a free and pro version, with FlightHero Pro fetching $4.99. If you decide to give the app a shot, here's what you can look forward to:
  • 1550 airlines: commercial, cargo, and charters
  • 17000 airports around the world
  • Real-time flight board with arrivals and departures
  • Flight tracking with actual aircraft position (including airspeed and altitude)
  • Airport weather and traffic delays
Hit up the links below to give FlighHero a shot and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Thanks to Kyle S. for the tip!
512MB RAM devices supported
QR: FlightHero

Image & News Credits : Windows Central

Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Microsoft reportedly working on brand new web browser for Windows 10


Microsoft is said to be at work on an all new web browser, codenamed Spartan, that could officially move the company away from Internet Explorer upon the launch of Windows 10. ZDNet reports that the new app is not Internet Explorer 12, the next iteration of Microsoft's longtime browser that we'd typically expect alongside another major Windows release.
Instead, it seems that the company is planning to start anew with a web browser that looks and feels "more like Chrome and Firefox" according to ZDNet. But despite a new appearance (and perks like extensions), this new browser would retain the foundations of Microsoft's current web technology. The new software will continue to utilize the Chakra JavaScript engine and Trident rendering engine, so Redmond isn't suddenly switching over to WebKit, the engine that's used by Apple's Safari. Other competitors like Google have moved off the WebKit path and created custom variants of the engine to serve their own development needs.
Don't expect to see Internet Explorer vanish, though. ZDNet says that IE 11 will still come bundled with Windows 10 for backward compatibility reasons, so Microsoft will in fact be shipping two browsers with its next big operating system. The next big Windows 10 event is scheduled for January 21st; that's when we expect to hear more about the software's new consumer-facing features and Microsoft's plans for Windows 10 on tablets and phones. Could this new web browser also be on the agenda? That's still up in the air, withZDNet reporting that Spartan may not be far enough along in development for inclusion in beta Windows builds.

Image & News Courtesy The Verge

Microsoft reportedly planning to close the app gap in a new way

satya-nadella

Microsoft is rumored to add support for Android apps to Windows with Windows 10 public release. However, as it turns out, Microsfot may not add support for Android apps to Windows (and Windows Phone). Instead, the company has a new plan to close the Windows app gap. According to a new report from Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft’s DE (Developer Experience) team is planning to approach developers, startups and students to develop apps and support the Windows platform. Foley also included a short excerpt from an internal email by Steve Guggenheimer – Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President:

“DX has built a global ISV management capability over the past 18 months and now we will extend that capability to manage top ISVs in the field. In partnership with WPG (Worldwide Partner Group), we will also develop a broad programmatic approach to reach and engage a broader set of ISVs that scales from higher touch programs and offers through to self-service with MPN (Microsoft Partner Network). We must be selective in how we look at ISVs to drive the greatest adoption of our cloud and mobile platforms. We will no longer define ISVs in the traditional sense.”
 

Mary Jo Foley also stated that it is still unclear if Microsoft is going to add support for Android apps on Windows.
Source: WMPoweruser

AdDuplex finds that Windows Phone 8.1 is continuing to build momentum

The latest data from AdDuplex shows that Windows Phone 8.1 is continuing its momentum. After overtaking Windows Phone 8 earlier this year, the latest OS from Microsoft was found to be installed on 57.9 percent of all Windows Phone devices worldwide.Windows Phone market share

AdDuplex found that although the overall market share for Windows Phone 8.1 has risen, the country by country market share varied by a large margin. In the Netherlands, the OS has an overwhelming share of 75 percent, whereas in countries like South Africa it was found to be 31 percent. In the US, Windows Phone 8.1 is at 46 percent.
Windows Phone device share
The data was collected from 4,832 Windows Phone apps running the AdDuplex's SDK v.2. In terms of market share of devices, the Lumia 520 continues to be the most popular with a share of 25.4 percent, although it is witnessing a decline from the 26.3 percent it commanded back in November.
The Lumia 630 also lost a few percentage points, likely due to the introduction of the Lumia 530, which now has a 3 percent market share. AdDuplex also found two new devices that are as yet unannounced. Microsoft's RM-1068 was found to be used exclusively in Brazil with a 4-inch WVGA display, and then there was a device from LG with model number LGVW820 boasting a 4.7-inch and a FWVGA (854 x 480) screen resolution.
For more statistics as well as a breakdown of Windows Phone's market share based on the country, head to the link below.
News Courtesy Windows Central

Action Center is now Security and Maintenance on Windows 10

wni10

Remember the flag on the taskbar of Windows? It’s no longer called “Action Center”. With Windows 10, Microsoft has renamed it as “Security and Maintenance”. There isn’t anything new on the renamed Action Center, however. Microsoft has simply renamed it to suit its features.
Microsoft will unveil more consumer focused features at its Windows 10 event on 21st January. It’ll be interesting to see if the company adds any new feature with the upcoming 2015 build.
Image & News courtesy WMPoweruser

Indian Railways Releases Official Ticketing App For Mumbai And Chennai Suburban Trains

UTS Train App
Indian Railway has now released a new app that allows booking unreserved suburban tickets on smartphones. As of now the Mobile UTS app has been introduced in Mumbai and Chennai suburban areas only. This new app was developed in-house by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). The passenger has to book the ticket in the mobile phone and print the ticket on the ATVMs installed at the journey originating (Source) stations. The tickets can be booked through Mobile UTS only through Railway wallet.
Features:
  1. Quick Booking – Book Ticket using frequent travel routes.
  2. Normal Booking – Book Ticket for any suburban routes.
  3. Cancel Ticket – Cancel a Ticket before taking Ticket Printout @ Kiosk.
  4. Booking History – Show already booked tickets with rebook option.
  5. Profile – Manage the passenger profile and check R-Wallet balance.
Download the app here from Windows Phone Store for free.
Image & News Courtesy WMPoweruser

Review – Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard

Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard

We give a lot of attention to the Surface Pro 3 here at Windows Central, but I realize that not everyone uses one or plans on getting one. There are many other great Windows 8 tablets out there that do not have their own keyboard option available, so today I am taking a look at the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard.
It is cute little devil with a lot to offer the tablet user who is often running around from place to place.

Design

Much like its companion, the Wedge Mouse, the Wedge Keyboard is a compact and minimalistic device made up of matte black plastic keys accompanied by a shiny silver trim.
The entire keyboard is about the size of the Type Cover's keyboard on the Surface Pro 3. It includes many of the same dual-function F1-F12 buttons as the Type Cover as well, like Search, Charms, Settings, and Devices, but also includes music/volume controls. Esc doubles as the keyboard's power button, and there is an additional key that works like a right-click in applications.
On the bottom of the Wedge is a riser that gives the keyboard a slight tilt for better ergonomics. This bump also houses the tray for the two AAA batteries that provide power and is where the Bluetooth pairing button resides.

All you need to know about Lumia Denim update for Windows Phone!

Lumia Denim
Editor: Sam Sabri
Microsoft announced Lumia Denim at IFA 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Lumia Denim is the latest firmware for Lumia handsets and brings a handful of new features like passive-listening Cortana, 4K video, Rich Capture and more.
During development, Lumia Denim was codenamed 'Debian Red.' Lumia Denim follows the naming convention used by Microsoft, nee Nokia, for their firmware in Lumia handsets. The firmware names go in alphabetical order, starting with A for Lumia Amber, B for Lumia Black, C for Lumia Cyan and now D for Lumia Denim.
Lumia Denim is most notable for bringing a handful of new features to the Lumia Camera application on Lumia handsets. Camera speed is by far the area with the biggest improvement brought on by Lumia Denim, with between shot times of milliseconds. Here's the full list of camera changes coming with Lumia Denim (to supported handsets)
  • Speed: Never miss a moment with Lumia Camera and its fast camera startup and capture speeds. Take numerous photos with just milliseconds beyond shots.

  • High definition: Using Moment Capture, a long press of the camera button within the app automatically starts 4K-quality video recording at 24 frames per second. Each frame is of high image quality at 8.3 megapixels, allowing every single video frame to be selected and saved as a still image.

  • Intuitiveness: Get the best shot every time with Rich Capture, which simplifies picture-taking with auto HDR and Dynamic Flash. With Rich Capture, people can avoid the hassle adjusting camera settings; they can shoot first and edit and select the perfect shot later.

  • Quality: Capture high-quality smartphone images in low light with the latest-generation imaging algorithms.

Image and News Courtesy Windows Central

Samsung to show off Windows 8.1 all-in-one PC with curved display at CES 2015


Samsung Series 7 AIOSamsung will be showing off two new Windows 8.1 products next week at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, including an all-in-one PC with a curved display.

The Samsung Series 7 AIO will have a 27-inch curved display with a resolution of 1920x1080. Inside, there's an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, with both a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD for storage. A price and a specific launch date for the Series 7 AIO have not been announced
Samsung will also showcase their upcoming and latest version of their Series 9 notebook line at CES 2015. The 12.2-inch laptop is just 11.8mm thick and 950g in weight, which the company claims is the thinnest and lightest notebook it has ever made. The display has a resolution of 2560x1600. Inside there's an Intel Core M 5Y10C processor with a clock speed of 2GHz. There's also 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage inside. The battery life is supposed to last up to 12 hours.
The new version of the Series 9 notebook should start showing up for sale on Samsung's website sometime this week but a price tag was not revealed.
Image and News Courtesy Windows Central

New Lumias via Denim support downloading OS updates to memory card



When it comes to updating the operating system, the Windows Phone experience leans towards the positive when compared to the competition. Apple's iPhone notoriously need a huge heaping of space due to backups and Android, like all things, can vary from device to device.
However, one area that is of concern is Windows Phones with low internal memory. Even though some phones have a micro SD card for expansion, they can prove to be problematic for OS updates if there is not enough internal space. One minor fix in build 14219 of Windows Phone 8.1.1 aka Lumia Denim is the ability to install those updates using the expansion card.
The news comes through Microsoft's support channels, which note the addition:
"Lumia software update OS version 8.10.14219.341 (formerly Denim), or above enables support for downloading phone software updates to an SD memory card. The supported devices list includes: Lumia 530/530 Dual SIM, 630/630 Dual SIM, 635, 636, 638, 730 Dual SIM, 735 and 830. The feature will be available for possible software updates coming after 8.10.14219.341."

New report claims Windows 10 for desktop could have two browsers: IE11 and 'Spartan'

Internet ExplorerWindows 10 will reportedly have two different web browsers for desktop users when it is released in the fall of 2015. One will be the current Internet Explorer 11 for backward-compatibility with older websites, while the other will be a brand new, light-weight browser that is currently being developed under the code name "Spartan".
The report comes from the usually reliable Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet, where she cites her unnamed sources inside Microsoft. Both browsers will still use versions of Microsoft's Chakra JavaScript engine and its Trident rendering engine. The new browser, which Foley hints won't be called Internet Explorer 12 when it is released, is rumored to have a new flat user interface similar to Google's Chrome or Mozilla's Firefox. Reportedly browser extensions are also supported.

Microsoft reportedly working on a fix for Lumia 930 display woes

By Daniel Rubino

Nokia Lumia 930 display

The Lumia 930 is likely to go down as one of the most divisive Lumias to date. It has not quite lived up to theLumia 920 legacy, and there are still numerous reports of overheating and screen discolorations. The latter issue is likely due to the use of AMOLED instead of LCD and Lumias have always had some purple tint issues with those types of displays.

How to change the language on Windows Phone 8.1

     

Lumia 535 language

Have you ever held a Windows Phone device 8.1 with a language you didn't understand? Perhaps you purchased a device overseas, or someone accidentally changed your settings. I tried setting up a newLumia 535 over the weekend, but it came out of the box with the Chinese language. Going through the menu was difficult, but I eventually found a way to change the language to something I understand. Want to know how I did it? Watch our quick how-to video.

The latest Surface Pro 3 TV ad is full of praise and adulation

By John Callaham
Surface Pro 3

The Surface Pro 3 is the subject of yet another new TV commercial from Microsoft that, for once, doesn't compare it to the MacBook Air. Instead, the focus is on the high praise the 12-inch tablet has received from some media outlets.