The Latest Windows Phone News

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Check out what Alcatel's Windows 10 Mobile 'superphone' looks like

http://www.neowin.net/news/check-out-what-alcatels-windows-10-mobile-superphone-looks-like

Back in February, we reported that Alcatel was working on a so-called Windows 10 Mobile “superphone” featuring high-end specs and materials. Dubbed the Idol Pro 4, the Windows handset didn’t materialize alongside its Android siblings, the Idol 4 and Idol 4S that were launched recently, with it being expected later in the year. However, we’re now getting to take a look at the Windows 10 device thanks to a leaked render.

As you'd expect, the Idol Pro 4 seems to be very similar to the Idol 4S, in pretty much every way you look at it. However, you should take that with a pinch of salt, due to the image's obvious low quality. In fact this looks so much like a fan-made render that if we weren't familiar with Alcatel's low-quality press images and it hadn't come from the highly reliable Evleaks, we would have immediately discarded it as fake. But those points standing, we're inclined to believe this is an early mock-up for the eventual finished press image.

Now, while the device's outsides looks a lot like the Idol 4S there's a different story going on under the hood. It's unclear whether the Idol Pro 4 has the same specs as the already available Idol 4S. In fact the leaker of the image, none other than EvanBlass, says the Idol Pro 4 is nothing more than the 4S running Windows 10 Mobile, and that would make a lot of sense businesswise.

However, this conflicts with earlier reports, that had pegged the Idol Pro 4’s specs to be a notch above its Android counterparts. According to those rumored specs, the Idol Pro 4 would indeed be a very high-end device.

 

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Windows 10 Mobile OTA update has officially begun, confirms Microsoft

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Wind...s-officially-begun-confirms-Microsoft_id79378

Yesterday, rumors began swirling around that the Windows 10 Mobile update was on the cusp of its grand roll-out. At the time of these initial reports, it hadn't been established precisely which older Windows Phone handsets would be in receipt of the newer software. As expected, Redmond has today confirmed Windows 10 Mobile's OTA, along with a list of the specific beneficiaries.
Thankfully, plenty of older devices have been drafted in for the latest edition of Microsoft's mobile firmware. Here's a run-down of those handsets that will be getting the Windows 10 Mobile update as of today:

• Lumia 1520
• Lumia 930
• Lumia 640
• Lumia 640XL
• Lumia 730
• Lumia 735
• Lumia 830
• Lumia 532
• Lumia 535
• Lumia 540
• Lumia 635 1GB
• Lumia 636 1GB
• Lumia 638 1GB
• Lumia 430
• Lumia 435
• BLU Win HD w510u,
• BLU Win HD LTE x150q,
• MCJ Madosma Q501

Users can also download the Update Advisor app to check their device's aptitude for Windows 10 Mobile. Though the OS has been bundled with newer handsets for a while, only now has it been primed for compatibility with pre-existing Windows Phone 8.1 handsets.

For the time being, it doesn't look like Windows RT tablets are seeing any of Windows 10. It is likely, however, that today marks the very first wave of updates, and here's hoping Microsoft will better clarify the situation in the very near future.
Features include Continuum, Windows Hello and the Cortana voice assistant, as well as the usual array of more general performance tweaks and bug fixes. If you are running Windows Phone 8.1, be sure to grab the Update Advisor app, and let us know in the comments if your device has been deemed worthy of the new software.
source: Windows, Microsoft

 

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New Action Center customization, icons and emoji coming in future Windows 10 Mobile builds

http://www.neowin.net/news/new-acti...oji-coming-in-future-windows-10-mobile-builds

Although we didn't get a new Mobile build of Windows 10 Redstone last week when build 14316 dropped for PCs, due to a cellular bug, work is still underway on the OS with a number of improvements inbound for a future build coming to Windows 10 Mobile.

Information uncovered by MSPoweruser's sources shows that the Action Center in Windows 10 Mobile will receive a significant update. The full expanded menu will be customizable simply by dragging and dropping the icons into the preferred order; right now, only the bottom row can be customized.

The site goes on to say that in current test builds, this can be only be achieved in the System settings, with the dragging and dropping of icons set to appear in a later build.

 

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Microsoft offering $150 off Lumia 950 and 950 XL with trade-in of Lumia 920, 925, or 1020

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsof...950-xl-with-trade-in-of-lumia-920-925-or-1020

If you are an owner of a Nokia Lumia 920, 925, or 1020, you might still be feeling pretty burned byMicrosoft's decision not to upgrade your device to Windows 10 Mobile, despite promises. It would appear that the firm is attempting to make amends by offering a trade-in deal for you to get a newer phone.

The deal is that you get $150 off of the price of a Lumia 950 or 950 XL if you trade-in a Lumia 920, 925, or 1020.

Here's how it works. Head on over to the Microsoft Store and click Trade-in online (you can trade-in at a Microsoft Store as well). You'll be asked to choose which device you're trading in, whether you're trading in the charger as well, and what the IMEI number of the device is.

 

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Microsoft is rolling out build 10586.218 for Windows 10 Mobile

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-is-rolling-out-build-10586218-for-windows-10-mobile

Microsoft has begun rolling out the April cumulative update for Windows 10 Mobile. As with most cumulative updates, it doesn't contain any new features, but it does contain fixes.

Here's the change log:

• Reliability, performance and stability improvements.
  
  
• Support for Visual Voicemail on Dual SIM phones.
  
  
• Improvements for Bluetooth connectivity, including the reliability of connecting to and staying connected with Bluetooth devices.
  
  
• Fix for a problem that caused audio playback to get occasionally interrupted in Groove Music and other music apps when phone display was turned off.
  
  
• Improvements for Microsoft Edge browser, including support for configuring a prompt before a file download occurs, support for background downloads, and a fix for a problem where opening a link from an another app wouldn’t load the web page.
  
  
• Reliability improvements for Cortana reading text messages aloud and usability improvements for Quiet Hours feature.
  
  
• Improvements for Store reliability, including a fix for a problem that prevented some apps from being updated and installed.
  
  
• Fix for a problem that occasionally caused some apps to show blank tiles after upgrading from Windows Phone 8.1.
  
  
• Improvements for PC connectivity via USB on some phones that were upgraded fromWindows Phone 8.1.
  

The update is available to both the Production ring and the Release Preview ring; however, it's important to note that cumulative updates are no longer rolling out through the Slow ring, as that is reserved for Redstone builds now.

It's also worth noting that the update is available for devices that aren't officially supported for the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade. Those devices can still get updates through the Release Preview ring for the time being.

Source: Microsoft Answers

 

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Windows 10 Mobile officially supports Snapdragon 830, among other new chipsets

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-...ports-snapdragon-830-among-other-new-chipsets

At Mobile World Congress this year, HP announced the long awaited Elite x3, a Windows 10 Mobile device powered by a Snapdragon 820 that wouldn't be coming until this summer. This led many to speculate about why it wouldn't be released until summer, suggesting that it would be released alongside the Anniversary Update - or Redstone 1, as it was known at the time.

But what did the Elite x3 need from Redstone? Microsoft's mobile platform has historically been slow to embrace silicon innovation, so was it waiting for Snapdragon 820 support? According to MSDN documentation, no; the platform supports the chipset right now, as well as the unannounced Snapdragon 830.

The full list is MSM8994, MSM8992, MSM8952, MSM8909, MSM8208, MSM8996, MSM8953, and MSM8998. This translates to Snapdragon 810, 808, 617, 210, 208, 820, 625, and 830, in that order.

The page also lists support for APQ8092, APQ8094, and APQ8009 in Wi-Fi only devices that run Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise. Those refer to Snapdragon 808, 810, and 210.

Finally, below that, there's a plethora of chipsets that can be upgraded to Windows 10 Mobile, which interestingly enough, contains all of the Snapdragon S4 SoCs that weren't allowed an official Windows 10 Mobile upgrade. Perhaps more interesting is that the minimum system requirements have been bumped up to 1 GB RAM.

What might be more unsurprising is that of the three lists, there are only Qualcomm chipsets listed. Windows 10 Mobile has still not added support for anything that's made by MediaTek or any other ARM chip OEM.

It's refreshing to see Microsoft staying ahead of the curve for once. Windows Phone 8 only supported the dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipsets. The Lumia 1020 was released with that SoC at a time when Android phones were shipping with the quad-core Snapdragon 800.

Windows Phone 8 Update 3 brought support for the quad-core Snapdragon 800, in preparation forWindows Phone 8.1, which also brought support for the quad-core Snapdragon 200 and 400. Of course, this was at a time when Android phones were shipping with the Snapdragon 801.

Yes, Windows phones have historically been one step behind. In fact, the HP Elite x3 was announced on the same day as the LG G5 and the Galaxy S7, making that the first time that a Windows phone has been one of the first handsets to be announced with a brand new flagship chipset.

The rumor mill says that the Snapdragon 830 will have a 10 nm process, support up to 8 GB RAM, and that it will use the Kryo technology that Qualcomm has implemented in the Snapdragon 820. The GPU will likely be upgraded from the Adreno 530 as well, probably to Adreno 630.

Source: MSDN

 

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Microsoft confirms 64-bit version of Windows 10 Mobile is on the way

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-confirms-64-bit-version-of-windows-10-mobile-is-on-the-way

The version of Windows 10 Mobile available today is 32-bit, but Microsoft quietly confirmed today that a 64-bit version is in development for its smartphones - and we may not have to wait too much longer for its arrival.

The information was revealed in a feature that Microsoft published today on 74-year-old Dave Cutler, who had a key role in developing many of the company's most significant products, and whose five decades of work in the tech industry will be formally recognized when he is made a Computer History Museum Fellow in a ceremony this weekend.

The article includes this paragraph, which reveals that detail about 64-bit Windows 10 Mobile:

Cutler stopped managing the entire NT project in 1996, but continued to lead the kernel development until 2006. In March 2005, he completed one of his “most gratifying pieces of work” at Microsoft when, partnering with AMD, he helped develop the AMD64 architecture (64-bit extensions to the 32-bit x86 architecture) and led the effort to ship the first two x64 64-bit Windows systems (workstation and server). At the time, some questioned why Microsoft developed a 64-bit system; today most computers are 64-bit systems and even our phones will soon have a 64-bit operating system.

64-bit support on Windows 10 Mobile will open up new features and capabilities, along with additional hardware options, including devices with more than 4GB of RAM. These new features will also pave the way for future devices to run more complex and resource-intensive applications, potentially making the operating system's PC-like Continuum mode even more compelling.

It's worth pointing out that, for now, all Universal Windows Platform apps that run on ARM mobile hardware are compiled in 32-bit, and Microsoft doesn't yet offer a 64-bit option. ARM64 support may well come later, but we'll have to wait and see how that plays out.

Microsoft hasn't yet revealed when it plans to introduce the new 64-bit version of Windows 10 Mobile, but with confirmation that that support is coming "soon", it's possible that it will arrive as part of the upcoming Anniversary Update to the OS this summer.

Source: Microsoft via MSPoweruser

 

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 Mobile build 14327 to the Fast ring

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-releases-windows-10-mobile-build-14327-to-the-fast-ring

icrosoft has released a new Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview build to the Fast ring. This time, it's build 14327 and like 14322, it contains a few new features.

The build comes just six days after the last one, but there's still no sign of a PC build, which Gabe Aul had said is coming this week.

Here's what's new:

Try out the Messaging Everywhere Preview
You can now try out the preview of the “Messaging everywhere” feature in Windows 10 that allows you to send and receive text messages from your phone directly from your Windows 10 PC’s.

o enable this:

• Make sure you are signed in with your Microsoft Account (MSA).
• On your phone – make sure “Send texts on all my Windows devices” is turned on.
• On your PC – make sure you have chosen which phone to send messages through. You do this in the settings of the Messaging app on your PC (screenshot above).

Try it out and less us know what you think via the Feedback Hub.

NOTE: You may have noticed that Skype integration in the Messaging app in this build of Windows 10 Mobile has been removed. This is so Skype can streamline your experience, replacing the integration with the Skype UWP Preview app for mobile in an upcoming build. In the meantime, you can use the existing Skype for Windows Phone app available in the Windows Store.

Cortana in more languages
With this build, we are enabling Cortana for the Spanish (Mexico), Portuguese (Brazil) and French (Canada) languages for Mobile (available previously in PC builds). If you’re running the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview in these languages – give Cortana a try and let us know what you think. For each new market and language, the Cortana Team works to develop a custom experience that is relevant in each individual market and language. These are early versions that we will continue improve based on your feedback and we look forward to hearing more from you.

Voice input is also now available for these languages. Set focus to a text field and tap the microphone above the keyboard to give it a try.

If you're on the Fast ring, you can grab this build right now by heading over to Windows Update on your supported Windows phone.

Source: Windows Blog

 

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Windows 10 Mobile preview lets you text from your PC

http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/21/windows-10-mobile-preview-lets-you-text-from-your-pc/

Microsoft is trying hard to unify Windows 10 across devices, so now your PC can act like a phone. The latest Windows 10 Mobile Insider Previewupdate features an app called "Messaging Everywhere" that lets you send and receive cellular text messages from a Windows 10 PC. You'll need to have a supported Windows 10 Preview mobile device, like a Lumia 650 or950, and activate the feature from your Microsoft account, as below. That will sync up messages on all your selected Windows 10 devices, so you can send and receive SMS messages without pulling out a phone.