There have been some leaked info on new features coming to Windows Phone in version 8. My heart initially skipped a beat, as I hoped that the core features that were keeping many of us “free spirits” from adopting Windows phone would be on the list.

Well, I was disappointed. Here are the leaked features:

Data Smart. A way to actively save cellular data when possible and avoid “bill shock”. Microsoft (not coincidentally) just blogged about this feature in relation to Windows 8. Re-read that post and think about how a smart phone would need/use exactly the same functionality. Data Smart can be extended by wireless carriers to integrate with their offered data plans.

App-to-App communication. Because Windows Phone 8 apps, like Windows 8 apps, are sandboxed from each other, this new system will provide a Windows 8 contracts-like app-to-app communications capabilities.

Internet Explorer 10 Mobile. Windows Phone 8 will continue to used a highly tuned version of IE which utilizes the latest web technologies.

Shared components with Windows 8. The kernel, multi-core processor support, sensor fusion, security model, network, and video and graphics technologies are all coming to Phone from Windows 8.

Companion experiences with Windows 8. Microsoft is offering a very similar user experience across phone (Windows Phone 8), PC (Windows 8), and TV (Xbox vNext). Pocketnow says there will be a new sync client, and not Zune PC software, though I can’t confirm that part, and a set of common cloud services that will work across all three. This includes the ability to sync content (photos, music, movies) between the three screens, phone management from PC or web, shared content between each device, and Xbox LIVE games, entertainment, and more.

SkyDrive integration. Microsoft will make your content available on all of its platforms via SkyDrive.

Skype app. Still a separate but better app and not integrated into OS. Still optional.

NFC and Wallet. Windows Phone 8 will allow users to securely pay and share via NFC and manage an integrated Wallet experience.

Local Scout. Now with personal recommendations.

Camera improvements. New “lens apps” and a far more powerful camera experience.

Business features. Windows Phone 8 will include full-device, hardware accelerated encryption with BitLocker and always-on Secure Boot capabilities, just like Windows 8. Also, it will support additional Exchange ActiveSync policies and System Center configuration settings and inventory capabilities. Businesses will be able to distribute phone apps privately as they can with Windows 8 apps.

You can get more details of the leak on WinSuperSite.

There. Microsoft is adding the most sophisticated features on the planet to windows Phone, but leaving out two simple features that could turn the fortunes of Windows Phone around.

Still Missing

1. USB Mass Storage
2. Bluetooth File Transfer e.g. of music, videos, and pictures
3. Lack of support for J2ME/Java

How hard can it be to add these two simple features?

Microsoft sure are acting strange. Can I say this: You are not Apple. Wake up!!!!

Sorry, guys. I like the Metro UI on Windows Phone. I like some other neat integrations. But, sorry, its not good enough for many of us yet.

Last night at the January 2012 edition of Mobile Monday Nigeria, I got a quick time to play with the Nokia Lumia 800.

Here are a few pictures that I took.

First Impressions

I have used two Windows Phone devices before now, and so I am already familiar with the OS and UI. It runs fluid on the Lumia 800. Very fluid.

In addition, Nokia’s homegrown services, Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Music are present.

Hardware-wise, the Lumia is almost a replica of the N9′s superb body. It is sleek in the hand and to the eyes. However, the display being 3.7 inches felt really cramped to me.

Personally, Windows Phone looks the most superb on displays of 4 inches and above. It works the same but larger displays certainly make it look better.

Nigeria Launch

We still do not have an official word on the launch date for Nokia’s Windows Phone devices here in Nigeria, so enthusiasts will have to wait a while.

It is December and a good time to take stock of the year ending. Looking back at 2011, I have owned 14 mobile devices this year.

As a long-time Symbian fan, I find it intriguing that of those 14 mobiles that I acquired this year, only 1 was Symbian – and I didn’t buy it. One. Go figure.

Of those 14 devices, 5 ran Android OS, 2 ran BlackBerry OS, 2 Windows Phone, 1 MeeGo, 1 WebOS, 1 Symbian, and 2 iOS.

I have come to terms with the fact that I am moving away from Symbian as my primary platform. It still meets my needs as a platform, but there are simply no new devices exciting enough to keep an adventurous person like me hooked on it.

And what’s Mister Mobility without mobile adventure and excitement?

I love something in every one of the existing platforms, but each of them also has one or two things that don’t go down well with me.

Put mass storage in Windows Phone, and I would signup right now. Same for iOS. BlackBerry ticks all the specs, but that platform lacks great cameras (one of my critical needs), as well as the fact that there isn’t much excitement there either.

Android is exciting, but at a killing level. You buy an Android smartphone today and it is almost a grandpa in another one month. That kind of excitement means that I will be cycling through Android phones at an alarming rate.

MeeGo is dead. WebOS is in a coma. Bada? I don’t know. Bada is a poor copy of Android. if I want Android, I go buy Android.

Here I am evaluating all my available options. Whatever I decide, I promise you months and years of exciting reviews and stories ahead. Of course, regardless of what platform I adopt, I will still continue to purchase devices from other platforms for review purposes, so no-one feels left out.

One thing is for sure, without exciting devices, I have lost the passion for Symbian. I used to be “Symbian Inside”. Now, I am “Symbian Over And Out“.

It is a potential nightmare situation – where your phone tracks every keypress, message and location (even when you disable GPS location services). A nightmare, yes. But it is with us already.

A researcher named Trevor Eckhart found that a logging software from a company named Carrier IQ is installed on a number smartphones from multiple manufacturers and carriers, and it tracks every keypress, message and location and sends this information out – all without the user’s knowledge.

Trevor’s research using his Android-running HTC EVO 4G smartphone led to the discovery of this software from Carrier IQ.

You can watch the video of his demonstration below:

Carrier IQ claims that the information collected is to help improve the user experience on mobile devices.

Who Is Guilty?

Carrier IQ is not built into any mobile OS, but is installed at the point of customisation or manufacture by either the carrier or device manufacturer.

HTC have come out to say that they run an opt-in system and have no direct involvement in installing Carrier IQ ion their devices. They point at the carriers.

Microsoft have boldly stated that Carrier IQ is not installed on any Windows Phone. See tweet by Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore.

Apple, who have been recently hit by a privacy storm, have stated that they stopped supporting Carrier IQ in iOS 5, and would completely remove it in future updates.

Through its Blackberry Advisor, Mark Sohm, RIM has stated that it does not pre-install the CarrierIQ application on BlackBerry smartphones and has never done so or authorised its installation.

TechCrunch says:

Eckhart’s original report has shown that Carrier IQ has been discovered on HTC and Samsung devices, and that CarrierIQ counts Sprint among their domestic carrier clients. AT&T also appears to use Carrier IQ on their devices: a member of the XDA-dev forums called AT&T and was told that Carrier IQ is indeed preloaded on the HTC Vivid. Other carriers, including Verizon, Vodafone, and O2 have all denied that they use Carrier IQ on their devices.

Nokia and RIM were also among the companies that Eckhart claimed CarrierIQ provided their “mobile intelligence” services to, but they have vociferously denied the connection. The Verge also reports that the three devices in Google’s Nexus line are free of the logging service, so Nexus devotees can rest easy.

RIM has responded that “If the CarrierIQ application is present on a BlackBerry smartphone, it does not mean that the CarrierIQ application has “hacked” the BlackBerry platform. It means that either the BlackBerry smartphone user or the user’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server admin explicitly installed the application and authorized it to run“.

The whole Carrier IQ scandal seems to be a US-only issue, so not everyone in the world has to worry about it. Of course, if your phone was imported from the US, especially if branded by one of the fingered carriers, chances are that you are in the picture too.

Stay In the Know

If you use an Android phone – and it is rooted or you are willing to root it – you can run a quick check to find out if Carrier IQ is installed on your phone.

Download Eckhart’s free Logging Test app. Once installed, hit ‘CIQ Checks’ to run the test.

Wrapping Up

If manufacturers and carriers need user feedback, it should be an opt-in system, not something that runs hidden in the system. Also, exactly who is the info sent to, and what is it used for? How safe are the users from exposure?

Questions. Questions.

The US justice department has shown interest in this, and talks of lawsuits are already in the air. This can get very messy, but in my opinion, the public has a right to know what is going on.

This will certainly get more interesting. Comments welcome!

I was racking my head this morning over Windows Phone 7. It’s a lovely platform but with some issues, just like every other platform.

One of its lacks is a file system. The OS hides the file system from the user, such that you can’t manage your files as you please. This is pretty much how iOS functions too.

Part of the fall outs of this setup is that you can’t handle email attachments the easy convenient way that everyone is used to, as follows:

1. Fill in the header fields and type out your email
2. Select a button or link to add attachments
3. Add the attachments
4. Send

Because the file system is hidden away, the option to select a button or link to browse to locate a file to attach is not there.

To send anything as an attachment, you have to go to ts default application, select that item and choose the option to send from there.

Whether it is pictures, videos, or documents, that is how it works.

It isn’t a big deal; just different. Just in case you were wondering how to go about it, now you know.

PS: This arrangement has it’s issues though. If you need to attach multiple files of different types, e.g. both a document and a picture, to an outgoing mail (which is often in business circles), I am not sure how possible that is. I haven’t found a way to do that.

If anyone knows, do chime in your comments below.

Comments welcome.

You have been asking, so we asked on your behalf.

The Head of Communications, Nokia West Africa has confirmed to me via email that Nokia Windows Phones will be in Nigeria by the 1st quarter of 2012.

If you have been lusting after the Lumia 800 or the 710, start saving up!

The Nokia N8, N9, Lumia 800

In the Beginning, the Nokia N8

Well, not exactly the beginning. But its a beginning of sorts.

Anyway, it suffices to say that I loved love my Nokia N8. You see, it runs Symbian, a very mature mobile OS with every feature possible worked into it. The latest iteration, Symbian Belle, is a winner in every way, and the N8belle (as I call it) is a champ one year after market launch. It remains undefeated in the camera arena and provides more features in one device than most devices released after it on every other platform.

But, Nokia’s new CEO has pronounced Symbian dead. I swear on the mobile gods that there will be no other Nokia flagship running Symbian after the N8. Who doesn’t want to move with the times? Supposedly, I should move on; right?

Moving on to Nokia N9

I absolutely love my Nokia N9 too. It runs MeeGo and has been so widely acclaimed in terms of its combination of sleek hardware and a superb OS that its no use repeating its strengths here.

Its camera performance does not match the N8′s, but it comes quite close. Which is good enough, really.

However – as with Symbian – Nokia’s CEO has proclaimed MeeGo and the N9 a dead end of sorts.

So, again, though I hold in my hands one of the most amazing mobile devices ever manufactured, I really should move on. Again. Right? Keep with the flow. Don’t become a dinosaur.

Moving on to the Lumia 800?

The Lumia 800 is the identical twin of the N9. Hardware is the same. Camera is same as on the N9, but this time with a shutter key (great for self-portraits). It is the internals that differ with this baby running Windows Phone 7.5.

Nokia says that Windows Phone is the way forward. As such, I should be looking that way; right?

Sure, WP is very modern, sleek and elegant – and is mostly excellent at the things it does. It has some nifty features to be sure. But it lacks some of the functionality that I have been used to, that I need, and that I wish I would not have to go without.

USB mass storage. Bluetooth file transfer. Proper multi-tasking.

Are these do-or-die features? Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps I can live with Windows Phone 7.5 as it is. After-all, I live with iOS on my iPad inspite of Apple’s mind-numbing lock-downs.

CrossRoads

Oh, yes; crossroads. The Nokia N8belle is so, so good that even though I love the N9, I still carry the N8 along with me often. Yes; madness, but the N8 is like a first wife in a polygamous home. Nobody else ever fully replaces her.

That superb 12 megapixel camera. That sweet Belle user interface. All the functionality that I want. Then add the FM radio and FM transmitter to the list too. Oh, my NateBelle!

I fear that if I lay my hands on a Lumia 800, I might end up carrying all three around: Nokia N8. Nokia N9. Nokia Lumia 800. Plus my BlackBerry. And sometimes, plus my iPad. Get the picture?

Damn you, Nokia!
Yes; damn you for not turning Symbian around fast enough to prevent this crazy logjam.

Then damn you one more time for not unleashing MeeGo fast enough to prevent this switch to Windows Phone. Damn you some more for producing such an amazing MeeGo smartphone after you had killed off both Symbian and MeeGo.

Damn you for unleashing such a beautiful Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone as the Lumia 800 on us, but denying us some of the functionality that we have come to love (okay, some of that damnation goes to Microsoft actually).

Damn you for turning an old customer of yours like myself into a lunatic who carries multiple, similar devices around.

Damn you for putting me into this dilemma. However this plays out, I will not end up in an institution because of you.

Yes; what is it? What are you all staring at?! Haven’t you ever seen a black American tearing his hair out?

The Nokia-born and now startup-based hit app Sports Tracker will launch on Windows Phone in November.

The much-anticipated Windows Phone version of Sports Tracker comes with the category-leading tracking features familiar from the Symbian, Android and iPhone versions. In addition to tracking the app comes with a comprehensive training diary, ability to share workouts to Facebook, Twitter and the Sports Tracker online community as well as cloud backup of tracked activities to sports-tracker.com.

“We are extremely thrilled to bring Sports Tracker to Windows Phone. We see Windows as a very exciting platform especially now with the advent of Nokia’s amazing new Lumia -series of Windows Phone devices.” says Mr. Ykä Huhtala, CTO and one of the founders of Sports Tracker.

App features

• Full tracking features as in the award-winning Symbian app and iPhone / Android: Distance, Duration, Speed, Average speed and pace, Max speed, Energy spent (kCal)
• Training Diary for workout data analysis
• Diary sync to sports-tracker.com service for further analysis
• Sharing of workouts to Facebook, Twitter and the Sports Tracker community

Sports Tracker for Windows Phone will launch in November 2011.

Sports Tracker app for Nokia N9 now available

To further celebrate “Nokia week” Sports Tracker for Nokia N9 is now available as a free download from the Nokia Store. The app comes with the familiar great tracking features and support for the new Sports Tracker Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor enabling you to get more out of your tracked workouts.

App features

• Full tracking features as in the award-winning Symbian app and iPhone / Android: Distance, Duration, Speed, Average speed and pace, Max speed, Energy spent (kCal)
• Training Diary for workout data analysis
• Diary sync to sports-tracker.com service for further analysis
• Sharing of workouts to Facebook, Twitter and the Sports Tracker community
• Support for the Sports Tracker Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor (available from shop.sports-tracker.com)

Download: Sports Tracker for Nokia N9

Lumia 800 on the N9

Nokia recently announced their first two Windows Phones, the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710. The former is a Nokia N9 look-alike that is being widely acclaimed as the first true Windows Phone. Of course, that is contestable depending on how you want to look at it.

Anyway, Nokia has provided an interactive app available for Symbian3 smartphone users to experience the all-new Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone on their Symbian device. It is a great way to let current Symbian users get a glimpse of the core features that this Nokia Windows Phone brings to the table.

Take a look at the screenshots that I took off my Nokia N8 running Symbian Belle.

Download Page in Nokia Store

Swiping up the homescreen to reveal the main menu

Windows Phone Main menu - Scroll vertically only

Windows Phone Marketplace

Windows Phone People Hub

People Hub - what's new in social networking

Internet Explorer Mobile 9

QWERTY keyboard in Portrait

The app does not do a complete demo of the features of Windows Phone. The only sections (or Hubs) that are demoed are: Internet Explorer, marketPlace, and People. Still, it gives a fair experience of how Windows Phone works.

The “Nokia Lumia 800″ app is available for download from the Nokia Store.

Over at Nokia Innovation, kelvin has published a A Symbian Users Wish List For Windows Phone.

Seeing that I have been contemplating the pros and cons of a move from the N9 to the Lumia 800, it sounds just right that I should publish a wish list of mine too.

Mass Storage Mode

I absolutely want to be able to plug in my phone to a PC to copy files across both devices without syncing via Zune.

Proper Multi-tasking

I don’t want background apps to freeze. I want the good old Symbian-style multi-tasking.

Bluetooth File Transfer

Please give us full Bluetooth transfer functionality. Bluetooth being available for pretty much nothing else but headset connectivity is lame. This is Sparta 2011!!

If you read Kelvin’s wish list, you’d see that we have different things on our individual lists. As far as I am concerned, Windows Phone’s weakest link is local connectivity.

Imagine that you have taken some great photos on your device and a friend asks you to send them to his device by Bluetooth. Duh!

If Microsoft would add the above-listed features to Windows Phone, they would have a product that makes long-time Symbian users really, really, really comfortable.

What do you think? What features would you like to see on Windows Phone?

Today, Nokia announced their very first Windows Phone smartphones. The two announced devices run Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

Nokia Lumia 800 – light fantastic

The Lumia 800 is the amazing N9‘s identical twin, sharing the same body with it. from Nokia’s official announcement:

The polycarbonate body is all subtle curves topped with a bright AMOLED ClearBlack display with toughened glass stretching to the sides of the phone. The Back, Start and Search buttons on the front of the screen are set in the glass, so there are no interruptions to the smooth surface. The phone comes in three vivid colours: black, cyan and magenta. On the back, there’s an eight-megapixel auto-focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics. The camera also shoots HD video at 30 frames per second. Social sharing or online storage can happen automatically or with two taps on the interface.

Inside, there’s a 1.4GHz processor and graphics co-processor driving the operating system to deliver a silky-smooth user experience. There’s 16GB of internal user memory, with cloud computing integrated to offer 25GB of free SkyDrive storage for your music and pictures. Communications are handled by a quadband reception, up to HSDPA 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth. Talktime is rated at up to 13 hours, or standby for up to 335 hours. It measures 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1mm and weighs 142g.

The Nokia Lumia 800 will be available from November in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, across 31 operators. The estimated retail price is €420 (about N93,000), before any local taxes or subsidies. Other territories including Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan will see the Nokia Lumia 800 before the end of the year, with even more markets following in early 2012.

Source

The Lumia 710 costs significantly less, but is no pushover either.

The Nokia Lumia 710 offers an accessible entrance to Windows Phone, enhanced with features that bring Nokia’s great strengths to bear. It’s a bright and fashionable phone, offering customization through exchangeable back covers and thousands of apps.

It comes in black and white varieties, with the choice of black, white, cyan, fuchsia and yellow back covers. The 3.7-inch screen offers an 800 x 480-pixel resolution with a ClearBlack TFT for great colors and readability even in bright sunlight. At the rear, there’s a five-megapixel auto-focus camera with an LED flash. The camera can also shoot HD video at 30 frames-per-second.

Packing the same 1.4GHz processor, hardware acceleration and graphics processor as the Nokia Lumia 800, the Nokia Lumia 710 offers exceptional performance at this price point. Inside there’s 8GB of user storage memory and 512MB of RAM. It has quadband radio reception, 3G up to HSDPA, WiFi and Bluetooth, so the communications options are covered. The phone measures 119 x 62.4 x 12.5mm and weighs 125.5g.

Available from the end of 2011, the Nokia Lumia 710 will first appear in Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan before becoming available in further markets in 2012. The Nokia Lumia 710 is expected to cost around €270 (about N60,000) before any local taxes or subsidies.

source

What do you think of these first WP offerings from Nokia?

I was a participant at MTN Nigeria’s Ideas Forum held at the Southern Sun, Ikoyi yesterday. It was a very engaging time during which we discussed mobile apps development in Nigeria and MTN’s proposed mobile app store, as well as ways that the ecosystem can be enhanced.

I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with a number of great guys from strategic companies, including Opera and Microsoft.

I have it on good authority from the Microsoft official that Windows Phone is coming to Nigeria officially – and soon. So many people have been asking me this question, so I guess your blood pressures can return to normal now – or go up even more from the anticipation.

Oh, and I was told that the Nigerian launch is not going to be soft, so expect a lot of push from Microsoft here.

Meanwhile, do not forget that my written review of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is on the way.