Microsoft now has a Certificates viewing app for Windows Phone

Microsoft has silently pushed out another Windows Phone app into the store and this one's definitely of limited usage and appeal.

Called Certificates, it lets you see which, er, certificates, have been installed on your Windows Phone but not remove any.

Microsoft will reveal info on new 3D printing file format during Build 2015

Although Microsoft is getting to launch its first Microsoft Store outside the US in Sydney, plans for other international stores are currently unknown. An earlier report by the site Microsoft-News mentioned that a new Microsoft Store was slated to open this Monday at the Eldorado Mall in São Paulo, Brazil.

MixRadio may reveal its next moves on May 19 at NYC press event

Members of the media have received email invites to attend a MixRadio press event May 19 in New York City, where the streaming audio service will likely reveal its next moves after being acquired by LINE earlier this year from Microsoft.

The invite itself said the event will include some "special guests" for "a panel and keynote discussion to announce exciting news about what the future holds for the service."

The service was first launched by Nokia, under the Nokia Music label, but switched to the MixRadio name in November 2013. Microsoft acquired MixRadio in April 2014 when it bought Nokia's Devices and Services business. In March, Line Corporation bought MixRadio from Microsoft for an undisclosed amount.

Download MixRadio for Windows Phone (free)

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Build 2015 event app for Windows Phone is now available

Next week, Microsoft is unveiling their annual developer event in San Francisco. Build 2015 looks to be a massive year as all eyes are on Windows 10 development, HoloLens, Xbox One, IoT, and more.

For those who are attending, there is now the official Build 2015 app. Listing all the sessions, maps, showcases, and ability to favorite talks to create your own schedule, the Build app is essential for attendees.

6tag updated with custom locations, improved dark theme, more

Popular unofficial Instagram client for Windows Phone, 6tag, has scored another update today, bumping it up to version 4.3 and bringing the ability to create custom locations, along with an improved dark theme and a custom rescale algorithm option to improve image quality.

Here's the full, official breakdown of what's new in 6tag version 4.3:

• use a custom rescale algorithm to improve image quality instead of the native one
• create custom locations
• improve dark theme

This marks 6tag's third update just this week–with the previous bringing three new features along for the ride–and it's great to see this kind of responsive support for a popular app. If you'd like to snag the latest version of 6tag, you can do so now from the store link below.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

TrueCaller update adds Persian language support, blocks installing to SD cards

Following its big update to 5.0 earlier this week, TrueCaller has picked up another that brings Persian language support and blocks installing the app to an SD card, along with the usual helping of bug fixes.

Here's what's new in TrueCaller version 5.0.2:

• Added Persian language
• Fix to block installing on SD-card since that will cause Caller ID not to work (system limitations)
• Small Bug fixes

Earlier this week, TrueCaller was bumped up to version 5.0 in a massive update that brought real-time spam detection, an improved caller ID, Live Tile notifications, and much more. While today's update may seem relatively minor in comparison, it's nice to see a whole new language being added in the wake of such a large update. If you'd like to snag the latest version of TrueCaller, you can do so from the store link below.

Download Truecaller from the Windows Phone Store (free)

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Microsoft releases Contacts+Message backup app for Windows Phone

If you are running Windows Phone 8.1 on a device with expandable storage via an SD card, you may want to grab this new system app from Microsoft.

The release is titled 'contacts+message backup' and the tiny app only installs to the Settings on your Windows Phone (it will not be listed in your apps). Contacts+message will "backup of all your contacts (in VCF format) and messages (SMS & MMS including attachments) to SD card (in XML format) for later restore to same or another Windows Phone."

The information is saved to in a 'backup+restore' folder on the SD card.

If this all sounds vaguely familiar, it is because we recently ran a story on the Xolo WIN Q1000 Windows Phone that had this same app built in. At the time, we implied how it would be useful for all Windows Phone users to have this ability, and many of you agreed in the article comments. Evidently, someone at Microsoft was listening because you can now download the <1 MB app to your Windows Phone 8.1 device to get the same function.

Oh and what happens if you install this to say a Lumia Icon (aka a phone with no SD card option)? Nothing much. The system app will appear in Settings, but (a) it will note no SD card was found and (b) you cannot uninstall it. Sure, it will not harm your phone, but it creates an unnecessary listing in your settings.

So, heed that warning before installing!

Anyway, grab the app and enjoy backing up your contacts and messages locally on your Windows Phone and save that data.

Download contacts+message backup for Windows Phone 8.1 (micro SD card required)

Images & News Courtesy Windows Central

Cortana's available in more places in latest Windows 10 preview for phones

Cortana was pretty restricted by location in the first Windows 10 preview for phones but with the latest build it looks like she's opened back up to more people. We're seeing it on our devices in the UK, though at the time of writing there's no apparent official word from Microsoft on exactly where.

Cortana has had a visual makeover as with many other parts of Windows 10 when compared to what we're familiar with. And although there have been teething problems getting this latest build onto devices, we're opening it up to you, the Windows Central readers.

Until we see something official, hit us up in the comments below and tell us where you are if you're seeing Cortana when you've got the preview installed!

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Here are some screenshots from Windows 10 for phone build 10051

A few people have been lucky enough to download the new Windows 10 for phones build 10051, while many others are still pressing "check for updates" button every 10 seconds. We've just installed it on our Lumia 635 and we're now exploring the new features. You can see the full changelog here. While you're still waiting, check out some of the screenshots we've collected so far!

Windows 10 for phones preview build 10051 can't open Office files

If you download and install the new Windows 10 for phones preview build 10051, there's one known issue that we felt that should be given a special mention. You won't be able to open anyOffice files if you decide to try out this build on your supported Lumia smartphone:

Microsoft put this rather large problem in its long list of known issues for the 10051 build. Here are the specifics:

"The Office Hub has been removed from this build. You won't be able to open Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote files in this build. Preview versions of the Universal Office apps will be available in the coming weeks."

So if you use your Lumia smartphone a lot to view Office files, we would strongly suggest bypassing this Windows 10 for phones preview release. As the known issues list states, Microsoft is developing new versions of its Office apps that will work universally across all Windows 10 devices.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Here are the known issues in the new Windows 10 for phones 10051 build

The new Windows 10 for phones 10051 build is being launched today, but not without some known issues. Microsoft provided a list of the problems users might experience when they download and install the build.

The list of issues include problems with apps crashing with phones that have just 512MB of RAM, no text messaging read out over Bluetooth and more. Here's the full list:

• There might be situations in which auto-upload of your Camera Roll to OneDrive may not be working. Please be sure to back up your photos especially if you need to use the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to go back to Windows Phone 8.1.
• The Office Hub has been removed from this build. You won't be able to open Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote files in this build. Preview versions of the Universal Office apps will be available in the coming weeks.
• We are redoing how text messages are handled and processed by Cortana so in this build text messages cannot be read out over Bluetooth.
• After upgrade, some apps that have been installed onto a SD memory card will fail to launch. To fix this, uninstall and reinstall the apps.
• About 1% of the time, incoming phone calls may not play a ringing sound.
• Call + SMS filtering will not work after upgrade.
• For people upgrading their phone from Build 9941, there is a bug in which your phone's MMS settings will be lost after upgrade. The new Messaging app doesn't yet have the ability to re-enter these settings. You will need to use the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to go back to Windows Phone 8.1 and then upgrade to this build to get MMS working again.
• Also for people upgrading their phone from Build 9941, the tiles on your Start screen for the Camera and Photos apps may be missing or corrupt. You will have to unpin any corrupt tiles and re-pin the apps to your Start screen.
• On some phones, due to a scaling bug the dismiss button won't be visible when an alarm is triggered. To stop your phone from "alarming "just touch the arrow and swipe up on the notification and off the screen to end the alarm.
• On phones with 512MB of memory, apps can randomly crash due to an issue with memory management.
• Flight mode cannot be enabled.
• Data connections can't be disabled.
• You may need to re-pin the Phone app after upgrade.
• The Insider Hub is now included on Phone but may fail to launch on some phones.

Microsoft says the Windows 10 team is working to fix all of these issues for future builds.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

More details revealed about Windows 10 for phones preview of Project Spartan browser

The new Windows 10 for phones 10051 preview build includes the first version of Microsoft's "Project Spartan" web browser for smartphones. The company has offered more details on this early public version, including word that they are still taking feedback for possible changes down the road.

The phone version of Project Spartan uses the same new rendering engine that is being used for the PC version of the browser. While this Windows 10 for phone preview still has the olderInternet Explorer 11 browser installed as the default, future versions will have Project Spartan as the only web browser for smartphones.

This build also has early versions of the mobile reading view and reading list features that will be included in Project Spartan. Microsoft added:

"You'll find that this build has our new design for our Windows phone version, with the address bar on top, and a small actions bar at the bottom (a bug in this build means that the actions menu is larger than its intended to be). We've heard your early feedback about the position of the address bar, and we are looking closely at the design. We encourage you to try out, see what you think, and continue to share your feedback with us."

So for those of you who like having the address bar on the bottom of the browser, as IE11 has for Windows Phone 8.1, it sounds like Microsoft could also change the bar's position for Project Spartan if they get enough feedback to support that feature.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Here is what is new in Windows 10 Technical Preview 10051 for Phones

Microsoft has now published the changelog of all the big new features and improvements in today's update for the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones.

Windows 10 for phone Build 10051 contains numerous new improvements. Below we are highlighting the main changes.

• Project Spartan: An early version of Project Spartan is available in this flight. It uses our new rendering engine to give greater interoperability with the modern mobile web, and includes early versions of Reading View and Reading List. For now, Project Spartan is not the default browser, and exists side-by-side with IE11. You can find it in the All Apps list and pin it to your Start Screen from there. Please send feedback on sites and design. For more details on Project Spartan on the phone – see this blog post. Be sure to also check out this blog post from Joe.

Nokia reportedly discussing the possible sale of its HERE maps division

A new story says that Nokia is reportedly "exploring" the idea of selling off its HERE maps division. The company may decide to ditch the maps business in part to concentrate its time on its wireless network division. HERE Maps is already getting some interest from other companies and private-equity firms, according to Bloomberg's unnamed sources.

It adds:

The Finnish company, which is working with a financial adviser, may decide against a sale if it can't get a price it deems sufficient, the people said. HERE reported full-year sales of 970 million euros and an operating loss of 1.24 billion euros, including a goodwill impairment of 1.21 billion euros, according to the annual report. In January, Nokia projected rising sales for its maps and patents divisions for 2015.

Nokia launched HERE Maps for Windows Phone devices in February 2013, followed a year later byan app for Windows 8.1 devices.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Thinking of installing the Windows 10 preview on your phone? Read this first

The latest build of the Windows 10 preview for phones will open up the list of supported devices massively, and as such there's a lot more Windows Phone users that might be thinking about installing it.

Whether you're wondering if you should, how you go about it or even just want to know a little more on what we've seen so far, we've got you covered with everything you need.

Check out the links below for everything you need to know so far on the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones.

• Should you install the Windows 10 Technical Preview on your phone?
• How to download and install the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones
• Windows 10 for phones video walkthrough
• Windows 10 for phones - everything you need to know
• List of supported phones for Windows 10 preview
• News Courtesy : Windows Central

Next Windows 10 for phones build will expand to a massive number of devices

In a new blog post from Microsoft this evening, the company says the next build of the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones will hit a lot more devices.

In addition to a massively expanded list of supported devices, the blog post notes that Microsoft is looking to increase the frequency at which Windows 10 builds will be released for phones.

The increase in frequency for Windows 10 releases for phones follows a similar path that Microsoft recently laid out for desktop builds. On the topic of the rollout to more phones, the blog post reiterates that the previous limited rollout was due to a partition size issue:

"As I wrote in the accompanying blog post, the reason for this is that we had to select from the set of phones that had sufficient system partition sizes configured by the manufacturer. This was necessary for us to be able to in-place upgrade the phones. I also talked about a feature we were working on called "partition stitching" that would allow us to re-size the system partition dynamically, allowing us to do the upgrade on a larger set of phones."

And Microsoft isn't joking about that larger number of phones. Without further ado, here's the full list of phones that are expected to be eligible for the next build of the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones:

• Lumia 1020
• Lumia 1320
• Lumia 1520
• Lumia 520
• Lumia 525
• Lumia 526
• Lumia 530
• Lumia 530 Dual Sim
• Lumia 535
• Lumia 620
• Lumia 625
• Lumia 630
• Lumia 630 Dual Sim
• Lumia 635
• Lumia 636
• Lumia 638
• Lumia 720
• Lumia 730
• Lumia 730 Dual SIM
• Lumia 735
• Lumia 810
• Lumia 820
• Lumia 822
• Lumia 830
• Lumia 920
• Lumia 925
• Lumia 928
• Lumia ICON
• Microsoft Lumia 430
• Microsoft Lumia 435
• Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM
• Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV
• Microsoft Lumia 532
• Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM
• Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM
• Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM

The blog post doesn't detail when the build will be available, but it does note that Microsoft likely has at least one more week of testing to go. In any event, this is great news for those that have been patiently awaiting another build, let alone the massive increase in supported devices.

Update: For those wondering why the Lumia 930 is not yet on the list, there is a bug causing the "wrong scaling factor is applied to UX, causing everything to be teeeeeeny tiny" according Microsoft's Gabriel Aul. The bug may be fixed by the time the next release is out, but for now, that is why it is missing.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

More Lumia Denim updates reported in Australia, the Philippines and more

Microsoft continues to roll out the Lumia Denim over-the-air update worldwide. We have received reports from a number of Windows Central readers that Denim has made its way to more Lumia smartphones in Australia, the Philippines and other countries.

Specifically, we have received many tips in the past couple of days from the Philippines that theirLumia 1520 smartphones can now download Denim. The Lumia 1320 on Vodafone in Australia is also apparently getting the same update, as is the Lumia 830 RM-985 in parts of Latin America.

However, Microsoft's Windows Phone software update support page does not list these phones as receiving the Denim update yet. Based on the number of tips we have received from our readers, it's more than possible that Microsoft simply has not updated the page to reflect the over-the-air download.

We will continue to keep an eye out on Denim's continued rollout, especially in the US and Canada, where only a handful of Lumia smartphones have received the update.

Do you need some assistance in getting your Windows Phone OS updated? If so, we got you covered with our how-to article on that very subject.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Photos taken with Lumia 930 beat iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4 in blind test

A recent blind test of photos taken by various recent smartphones has resulted in a win for theLumia 930 and its 20MP PureView camera beating out images taken by the iPhone 6 Plus and theSamsung Galaxy Note 4, among others.

The Phone Arena site took images of a number of locations in different lighting conditions with six smartphones that at the time were unidentified and asked its readership to vote on which photos were the best. The Lumia 930 was the overall winner with 6032 votes, beating out the Galaxy Note 4 by less than 100 votes. Considering that the Lumia 930 is basically the same smartphone as theLumia Icon that Verizon released over a year ago, that's a pretty good achievement over a smartphone that's been out for less than half of that time.

The iPhone 6 Plus was a distant third in this smartphone camera battle with 4344 votes, with Google's Nexus 6 in fourth place, the Galaxy S5 in fifth place and the newly announced HTC One M9 in sixth place, even with its own 20MP rear camera.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Microsoft Band online shipments vary by retailer, some stores have them back in stock

The small and medium models of the Microsoft Band are currently showing long waits for shipments for some online retailers. _Again._The Microsoft Store site shows that if you order the small or medium version of the fitness band, you will have to wait until May 6 to receive them

People who want to buy the large version of the Microsoft Band on the company's site won't have to wait nearly that long. The store shows shipments going out on April 1 for orders made today. Microsoft is still restricting online order to one Microsoft Band per customer, which shows that there is still a fairly limited amount of the devices to go around.

Thankfully, Best Buy and Amazon's websites show they have all three versions of the Microsoft Band on sale for shipment April 1 (Best Buy) or even immediately (Amazon). Sadly, Target's website currently shows the Band as "out of stock" just a few days after it started selling the device.

We have received tips from a couple of Windows Central readers that some Microsoft Store retail locations have also received new shipments of the Microsoft Band. If you live near one in the US and Canada, you might want to see if you can stop by and get one immediately.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Windows 10 for phone to support NFC payments similar to Apple Pay

Microsoft wants owners of Windows 10 for phones to pay for goods and services similar to howApple Pay works for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It detailed those plans last week at a presentation at its WinHEC 2015 hardware conference in China.

You may remember that Softcard released NFC-based "Tap to Pay" apps for Windows Phone in November for Verizon and T-Mobile, and then a few months later announced those apps would be shut down on March 31, due to Google acquiring their technology for use in Google Wallet.

During WinHEC 2015 Microsoft revealed that Windows 10 for phones will support Host Card Emulation (HCE). HCE will allow any smartphone with Windows 10 and NFC hardware to transmit payments from the device to an NFC terminal designed to receive that money but without needing a special secure app like Softcard. It also won't require any secure SIMs from wireless carriers. The slide shows that VISA, MasterCard and American Express are supporting this feature.

HCI is already supported in Google's Android since Android 4.4.

Another slide shows that Windows 10 will also support "Tap to pair" for NFC hardware so it can pair with a Wi-Fi Direct device via Wi-Fi Protected Setup. It will also support tapping to a Miracast dongle, presumably so that the screen for a Windows 10 smartphone can be mirrored to a larger screen that has such a dongle installed.

It's possible that not every Windows 10 smartphone will have NFC support but those devices that do contain the hardware should be able to pay for things at the grocery store, restaurants or other locations that have an NFC payment solution. We should learn a lot more about Microsoft's plans for this part of Windows 10 in late April as part of its Build 2015 developer conference.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Latest Analog Clock Tile update adds multiple tile and custom background support

Analog Clock Tile is a popular app for Windows Phones that puts an analog clock on your start screen. The app has been bumped to version 3, bringing multiple tile and custom backgrounds support. It's quite the update and one we're sure fans of the app will welcome with unlocked lockscreens.

If you're not familiar with Analog Clock Tile, the app takes advantage of changes in Windows Phone 8.1 where Microsoft allows developers to update live tiles every minute, making a clock tile actually viable. This also means 8.1 is required to be able to use this app. Here's what is new in version 3:

• Multiple tiles support
• Custom background colors
• Time zones support
• Memory and bandwidth optimizations for low-spec phones

Now you can pin numerous clocks to your start screen. memory and bandwidth optimizations could prove to be a massive improvement alone for those rocking low-end hardware. Interested in trying out Analog Clock Tile? It's available for free on the store.

Download Analog Clock Title for Windows Phone (free)

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Microsoft will let you upgrade to Windows 10 for free, even if you're running a pirated version

In what may turn out to be an historic move in the battle against piracy, Microsoft's Terry Myerson has announced that the software vendor will allow all customers — whether they're running genuine Windows software or a pirated version — to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

The move is clearly targeted at the Chinese market, where two-thirds of all PCs run pirated versions of Windows. Speaking to Reuters, Myerson said:

"We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10," he said in a telephone interview with Reuters. The plan is to "re-engage" with the hundreds of millions of users of Windows in China, he said, without elaboration.

By giving away Windows 10 for free, at least for the first year, Microsoft is deviating from its regular sales model for the first time. The software maker announced earlier today that Windows 10 will be launching this summer in 190 countries, with the vendor focusing its attention on China.

Lenovo has committed to rolling out the Windows 10 upgrade to its customers as soon as it becomes available, as well as stating that it would launch its first Windows Phone over the summer.

The Redmond giant also inked a deal with Chinese internet portal Tencent in bringing popular games such as League of Legends to the Windows 10 store. Tencent has stated that it will also be working to roll out the Windows 10 update as soon as possible.

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Microsoft to replace the traditional Control Panel with the Windows 10 Settings app

Microsoft plans to replace the traditional Control Panel with the Windows 10 Settings app, bundling functionality and tools into the latter option.

Windows 10 (as well as Windows 8) provides users with two ways to access settings, the traditional Control Panel with access to various functions and tools, as well as the new Modern UI Settings app. The former is the more advanced option, but Microsoft is moving away from the familiar Control Panel in favor of the Settings app.

According to Microsoft's Gabriel Aul, the company plans to replace the Control Panel with the Settings app "in time", slowly migrating across the numerous tools.

Unfortunately, should you be a fan of the Control Panel after all these years, the Settings app will become the new portal to manage your Windows PC. It isn't known just how long it will take Microsoft to make the Control Panel entirely redundant. Have you grown attached to the Control Panel, or are you backing said change?

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central

Windows 10 will include new touch gestures for precision touchpads and touchscreens

Microsoft will include new gestures for controlling Windows 10 for owners of laptops that have precision touchpads. It will also offer some new actions for gestures made on touchscreens.

In a session at today's WinHEC conference titled, "Designing Great Hardware for the Windows 10 UI" Microsoft showed slides that illustrated the gestures that will be enabled for precision touchpads. Microsoft also stated that the cost for including such touchpads, which were first supported by Windows 8.1, have been "significantly reduced" since they were first launched. Hopefully, that means we will see more of them installed in new Windows 10 laptops.

As the slide shows, the edge gestures that are a part of Windows 8.1 have been replaced with multi-touch gestures on Window 10 for precision touchpads. Some of them are similar to touchscreen gestures, such as pichcing and zooming with two fingers and tapping and sliding with just one finger. Another slide showed how these gestures will work with specific Windows 10 commands.

The presentation also indicated that Microsoft has "relaxed the requirements on how the digitizer should perform around screen edges" for touchscreens, which means that Window 10 devices that support edge gestures should be available for a broader number of devices. In Windows 10, swiping on the left edge will bring up the Task View of the most recently used apps, while doing the same on the right edge brings up the new Action Center. Swiping from the top edge can bring up a hidden title bar on an app in desktop mode or the ability to snap or close an app while in tablet mode. Finally, swiping from the bottom edge reveals the desktop taskbar when an app is in full screen mode

Image & News Courtesy Windows Central