Nokia Amber update arriving on Lumia devices: camera improvements, Glance Screen, and plenty more (updated)

Nokia Amber update arriving on Lumia devices camera improvements, Glance Screen, and plenty more

Those unofficial Amber ROMs you (briefly) considered toying with 10 days ago? History. Nokia has just announced that the honest-to-goodness, ready-for-consumption Amber code has been approved, and Lumia owners the world over will begin seeing it hit their Windows Phone 8 handset in the coming days / weeks. The software update is a fairly major one, delivering a wide range of new and improved features and apps, like Nokia Glance Screen with the standby clock and an even better imaging experience that mirrors the one found on the 1020. Users will be graced with a new FM radio player and improvements to Xbox music and the Internet Explorer browser, as well as improved image processing and the Nokia Smart Camera app (which debuted on the Lumia 925).

The Glance Screen acts a bit like the glanceable extras added to the Moto X, but sadly, it won't be available on the Lumia 520 and Lumia 625, which have a smaller display memory. Longstanding Nokia loyalists will surely appreciate the addition of "Flip to silence" and "double-tap to unlock," and those who rely heavily on Here maps will find future updates easier to install. The rollout starts now first for the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 in selected countries as well as the Lumia 521, Lumia 810, and Lumia 928 in the US, while owners of the Lumia 520, Lumia 620, Lumia 720, Lumia 820 or Lumia 920 will likely have to wait until the end of September.

Update: There's one more important tidbit: if you're using a Lumia 920, 925 or 928, you also get the Nokia Pro Camera app.

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Source: Nokia Conversations, Nokia

Microsoft Bing app suite comes to Windows Phone 8

Microsoft brings Bing app suite to Windows Phone 8

Have a need for Bing? Microsoft's got you covered. The same suite of apps already available on Windows 8 -- that would be News, Sports, Weather and Finance -- is now ready for your downloading pleasure on the smartphone version of the platform. This move comes just two days after the company updated the official WP8 Bing app, so it seems the mobile team's been hard at work lately. As you can imagine, all four apps have plenty of options for pinnable Live Tiles; your favorite sports team, the weather for your travel destination, preferred stock holding and even Engadget are among the various choices. The apps should be live in the Store today, so expect them to land any time now. In the meantime, we have a full gallery of screenshots for your viewing pleasure.

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Skype for Windows Phone 8 updated with new People list, UI enhancements

Skype for Windows Phone 8 updated

Got an itchy update trigger finger? If so, your Windows Phone is patiently awaiting. Skype for WP8 just been refreshed to version 2.9, which offers up a couple UI enhancements that should be pretty useful. First, you'll now be able to filter your People list so that you can choose to view only Skype contacts if you prefer; there's also a new contact layout within the app that lets you see more people on one screen. On top of this, you'll also benefit from the obligatory bug fixes and speed improvements -- after all, who doesn't love fewer bugs and getting things done faster? If you do, head straight for the Store and get up to date.

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Source: Skype

Windows Phone App Studio makes it easy to build WP8 apps

Windows Phone App Studio makes it easy to build WP8 apps

Say what you will about Microsoft's ecosystem struggles, but no one can fault it for trying. In an effort to get more developers to give Windows Phone 8 more than a passing glance, the outfit has just launched a beta version of Windows Phone App Studio -- a web-based dev environment that's "designed to help anyone quickly bring an idea to life by applying text, web content, imagery, and design concepts to any one of a rich set of customizable templates." Moreover, Microsoft is now allowing any dev to unlock and register a single phone to use with up to two apps, and it's also offering a $19 "Summer Break" Dev Center registration offer for those looking to actually publish software to the store. Finally, a new "Click To Chat" support program is being instituted to help those who can't quite seem to overcome a programming hurdle. Take a look at the company's blog post for the full skinny.

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Source: Windows Phone Developer Blog, Windows Phone App Studio

Google Sync support for Windows Phone to be kept alive until December 31st

Google Sync support for Windows Phone

As it turns out, yesterday wasn't the last opportunity to get your Windows Phone chatting with Google Sync. At the final hour, El Goog decided it wasn't the right time to block new connections for contact and calendar syncing -- the end date has been postponed again, this time to December 31st. That should leave plenty of time for all handsets to receive the GDR 2 update, letting CalDAV and CardDAV take over syncing duties so that Google Sync can finally retire with a clear conscience.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Google

Instagram reportedly blocking images uploaded through some third-party apps

Hipstamatic Oggl app users might want to rethink those subscriptions. Select Windows Phone 8 imaging apps, such as Instance, may no longer be able to upload images to Instagram's photo sharing service. According to a spokesperson's comment published on The Verge, the site has updated its API, restricting access to third-party apps in an effort to "fight spam to help prevent future attacks and increase security." Images apparently still pop up on the platform, but are deleted seconds later. For now, it appears that the only way to share images on Instagram is to capture them directly within the app, or through a supported service like Hipstamatic Oggl, leaving some WP8 and BlackBerry users out in the cold. Let's hope this unwelcome change means additional OS support is on the way.

Update: We spoke to an Instagram representative, who provided the same ambiguous response we've already seen reported. "We recently made an update to the systems that we use to fight spam to help prevent future attacks and increase security. As part of this, applications accessing Instagram against the terms of our API may also be affected. This update does not specifically target any particular app or platform." Unfortunately, it's not clear which apps are affected, including Hipstamatic Oggl, but we're currently testing several third-party offerings and we'll share our results shortly.

Update 2: We've managed to test Hipstamatic Oggl, and the app was successfully able to upload an image to Instagram. It appears that this new restriction is limited to apps that aren't accessing the service in line with API requirements.

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Source: The Verge

Nokia: your favorite apps are coming to Windows Phone 8, it’s simply a matter of when

Nokia: your favorite apps are coming to Windows Phone 8, it's simply a matter of when

Bryan Biniak, VP and General Manager of Global Partner and App Development at Nokia, was in London today for the UK launch of JobLens, so we took the opportunity to sit down with him and talk Windows Phone 8, the basket in which Nokia has entrusted all its eggs. Being Microsoft's brother-in-arms, Nokia's heavily involved in building out the platform and, despite an increasing number of high-profile apps making the jump, the general health of the WP8 store was the main topic of discussion. Unsurprisingly, Biniak was keen to report the app catalogue and with it, competitiveness, is growing fast. There are still gaps to be filled, however, and if Biniak's claims are to be trusted, all the apps most common to iOS and Android home screens are headed to WP8 in the near future:

We're not having a single conversation with anybody, of any material application that's out there, that isn't going to be coming to the platform. It's not a matter of if -- I had those conversations, the "if" conversations, before -- all of our conversations now are "when."

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Nokia Lumia 625 leaks in China, packs 4.7-inch screen

Nokia Lumia 625 gets certified in China, packs 47inch screen

Well, what do we have here? According to China's official certification website (TENAA), this above is the unannounced Nokia Lumia 625. The handset apparently features a 4.7-inch WVGA screen with super-sensitive touch, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM and 2,000mAh battery -- basically a lower-end model. While the listing only mentions GSM / GPRS and WCDMA / HSPA support, the phone supposedly includes LTE, and wraps everything in a unibody design that follows the attractive looks of its smaller cousin, the Lumia 620. In fact, the shape appears to match the RM-941 that passed through the FCC back in June. The device is expected to land in China at the end of July for 1,999 yuan ($325) -- just hit the source link below for more info.

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Via: LiveSide

Source: TENAA

Aviary lands on Windows Phone 8, paid content made free for a limited time

DNP Aviary launches on Windows Phone 8

Aviary has come a long way from its humble origins as a Flickr plugin -- over the last year it's graduated to a standalone app, been given a makeover and has even been ported to Windows 8. Today the popular photo-editing software lands on yet another platform: Windows Phone 8. As on iOS and Android, the app itself is free and comes with a bunch of filters and stickers. Extra packs can usually be purchased for two bucks a pop, but WP8 users can get them for free for a limited time -- not bad for a digital lizard sombrero. Follow the source link below to check out the (temporarily) gratis photo editor yourself.

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Source: Aviary (Windows Phone Store), (Blog)

WhatsApp update for WP8 brings in-app dialing, background agent support

DNP Whatsapp for WP8 update

A number of issues have plagued WhatsApp on Windows Phone 8, but hopefully this latest update has addressed some of them. While it's yet to integrate a VoIP function like Viber and other competitors, the new version allows you to initiate a call through the phone's dialer. It promises to fix notification problems as well, although you can still see a lot of complaints about push notifications on the Windows Phone Store. The latest version also adds support for Windows Phone background agents, which prevents the app from killing off music and other tasks. Let's not forget the new emoticons, because WhatsApp sure deserves a smiley for these much-needed changes.

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Via: My Nokia Blog

Source: WhatsApp (Windows Phone App Store), TruTower