Mobile Updates: April 2013

30 April 2013

My Nokia Blog

Lumiapps: Lytro Camera App “Refocus” lets you choose focus points AFTER taking the picture!
Video: IllumiRoom – For Next Gen Xbox – Extended Demo
Video: Humorous Nokia Lumia 920 ad from Microsoft stars fighting smartphone users in wedding #iSheep #Copybots
Kantar: Proof that Nokia and WP is NOT failing in the USA market, it improved the most from Q1 2012 figures.
Raaaaiiiiiidddddddd!!!!!!!!
Video: PureView OIS in Nokia Lumia 920 vs UltraPixel HTC One

Lumiapps: Lytro Camera App “Refocus” lets you choose focus points AFTER taking the picture!

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 07:40 PM PDT

Do you remember when we talked about Lytro, a camera that would allow you to choose your focus points as and when you needed it AFTER you took the shot? It wasn’t something I’d expect coming to a camera phone anytime soon, so colour me surprised when someone made it into an app that actually does work.

You hold the camera still and it ‘records’ several focus points. You can then tap to where you want the focus to be and it will (or should) refocus. You can also press the buttons on the side to change focus points frame by frame. This works as a camera lens app too. I’ve only tested this briefly as I woke up at an inappropriate time this morning (bit ill/feverish) I’ll try and test it out again in the morning. The first image is a stock one.

It’s very quick, taking about a second to take a picture (asking you to hold steady)

This is my hand and the clock. Tap focus sometimes works well, sometimes you have to rely on the buttons.

The images are maxed at 1280×720. OK for social sharing I guess.

Basically, I think it uses the fast AF on my 920 to capture several frames at different focus points.

Give it a go for free or you can purchase it for just £0.79/$0.99. I’m really liking this app .

Name: Refocus

Link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/refocus/93dddc3e-e895-47bf-bcb2-ff19d7df6533?signin=true

Via: WMPU

Cheers Derrek for the tip

Video: IllumiRoom – For Next Gen Xbox – Extended Demo

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 01:02 PM PDT

I wasn’t too sure myself about the practicalities or applications IllumiRoom would have for me based on their first demo, but this latest demo really intrigues me as it does appear to enhance the gaming experience that would otherwise stay on the screen only.

I love the Radial Wobble, whereby pulsewaves are visible in your living room. You can also see how objects from the screen fall onto the floor. There’s even the option to have extended visuals that don’t necessarily connect with what’s seen in the video but still brings something better for the game play. I advise you to watch the video (which is live footage and not CGI)

This uses a kinect and a projector. I was wondering how would this work if your screen (TV) was already a projection?

In addition to games, there’s the option to watch panoramic videos (this one I’m not sold on. It looks too distracting). It’s a bit like TV/Monitor set ups with LED strip lighting on the edges but more confusing.

I wonder how tablets/phones will interact with this.

Via: TheVerge

Video: Humorous Nokia Lumia 920 ad from Microsoft stars fighting smartphone users in wedding #iSheep #Copybots

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Check out this ad from Microsoft for the Nokia Lumia 920, with the tag theme: Don’t Fight, Switch.

It starts off with someone dissing the large galaxy phone (hey, we’ll be going phablet soon by the end of the year too no ) . iPhone users taunt galaxy users, whilst Android owners retaliate. Fighting ensues.The insults are funny as they’re done through a perceived third part, “iSheep” and “Copybots”.

Interestingly enough (as I do like to critique) although this is an ad about WP/Nokia Lumia 920, what precisely are you learning about it? Like what can it do? The end helps, when they mention it’s Engadget’s smartphone of the year.

Cheers Ady for the tip!

Kantar: Proof that Nokia and WP is NOT failing in the USA market, it improved the most from Q1 2012 figures.

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 09:30 AM PDT

Some figures from Kantar World Panel indicate that WP continues to grow in the US. In fact, in terms of percentage increases, it has gained the most.

http://www.kantar.com/media/mobile/290413-smartphone-sales-data-us/

Q1 2013 changes in USA market share compared to Q1 2012.

iOS -0.9%
android 1.4%
rim -1.7%
WP 1.9%

Parmy Olsen from Forbes analysed the stats saying that Windows Phone is strengthening their third position against iPhone and Android, a difficult task against such strong established competition.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2013/04/26/windows-phone-strengthens-third-place-position-against-iphone-android/ Via Reddit

Cheers ms.nokia for the tip!

Raaaaiiiiiidddddddd!!!!!!!!

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 08:04 AM PDT

Raid kills bugs dead. Seems like Accenture emptied an entire CAN of Raid on the VERY REAL HSPA+ bug that terrorized Nokia 808 PureView users worldwide. Here is a little back story via a true and emotional comment that I wrote over at AllAboutSymbian: Pardon my openness, I was at my wit’s end with no hope of a solution and no guaranteed help from Nokia.

Last Week:

Steve, thank you for linking and posting the article. I appreciate it and thank you all for the comments.

Since that post, I have received a second 808, this time purchased directly from Amazon And I verified the U.S. warranty. Unfortunately, the 3.5G hardware issue persists with this new device and is even worse as the device now restarts when I am using it. I have had restarts mid call, playing music, showing people pictures and browsing the web.

Also, I experienced what would normally be a deal breaker, silent lost connection error. I was home this weekend with my family out-of-town. A day went by and l noticed that I had not gotten any message or phone calls. Looking at the phone, it wasn’t frozen, I had full 3.5G bars and all seemed well. I noticed that a text I sent the night before was listed as having failed so tried to resend it about 4 times and it wouldn’t send. As a last resort, I restarted the phone and immediately, 8 messages came in, an important one, that my family arrived safely. I had not gotten any calls or messages for a whole day!!!!

I say silent as there was no notification that I was not connected to the network. For this to be an important communication device, it really is devastating, scary and potentially unsafe in unfortunate circumstances. No one could reach me. Am I supposed to make random calls and test and see if I have a connection since every normal UI piece shows as being connected?

Honestly, with my experience with 2 808s and other people’s experiences around the world, I would return my 808 and never look back IF it wasn’t for the factual marvel that is the 41MP sensor, Carl Zeiss, Xenon flash combination.

You know, just being honest, it feels crazy to put up with it all. I liken it to that unreliable friend that some of us may have, that frustrates us sometimes but you won’t get rid of her because with all of the issues, there is a redeeming quality, that you can’t find anywhere else, that draws you back, that makes you take her back one more time…and then several one more times until you realize that there is no going back (Ed. to a lesser friendship).

In my Hulk inspired rages, after 5 resets a day, in my despair of living in the U.S. without a Nokia Care center or a guarantee that my issue will be resolved, even with a valid U.S. warranty, as I gaze at the 808 and my fingers are inches away from requesting a refund and parting ways…..I remember the pictures I took of me pouring sugar and being able to see individual grains of sugar, frozen in 38MP of Xenon lit glory, I remember being able to check the price of gas from a block away by zooming in, I remember being able to hunt for noise and not find it where I normally would, I remember listening to audio recorded from seminars and it sounding just like I was there all over again and I look at my 808, cycling through the 4 or so “I just reset myself” dots and I sigh, wipe the screen, check for missed calls and messages, sigh again and move on with life. There isn’t a better mobile camera, I am stuck in a photo quality vacuum where the only way out is to go back to lesser photos, video and sound that will fill my captured moments with noise, grain, limited distance and missing audible tones.

It may sound dramatic but that is honestly how I feel. I can’t go back to the N8 and until Nokia releases an equally or better equipped camera phone, I am stuck.

To ease the pain, yes, I could limit it to 2G but that is just another sad tale within itself.

At the end of the day, my flaky, 808 is capturing incredible pictures and making dull moments look simply amazing. So much so that all that I have said has become routine and accepted, whether I would, like to or not.

Does all that I have said sound crazy? Maybe. Is it true? Definitely so. What I get from the events from the past 3-4 weeks is that Nokia has truly crafted a mobile camera marvel that is so amazing and flexible that even the worst user experience cannot prevent some users, some photo buffs from departing from their devices. If it was any other phone with regular camera, I honestly believe those of us with this issue and other issues would have returned the phone and got a refund and never looked back.

Thanks goes to Nokia’s imaging team for delivering on their camera promises and I look forward to seeing what the future of mobile imaging holds for us all. Pardon me while I check my 808 to see if I am still connected to the outside world.

Steve and all, have a great day and enjoy your devices and keep up the great work in all that you do.

Today:

After installing the 3G Network Compatibility Fix, I have been using 3.5G exclusively for the last 3 days and have not had ANY resets, reboots, freezes, crashes or any other 3.5G related issues!!!! NO MORE HSPA+/3.5G BUG!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more 2G, no more unreliability, no more moments of despair, frustration, disappointment, Hulk smashing, feelings of $500 worth of crashes, no more missing calls from family, friends and business partners!!!. Words cannot express the gratitude that I have towards whomever is responsible for fixing the issue, hardware or software related or not, all I know is that my 808 has been transformed to a stable device just like my previous Nokia’s, just like a phone should be.

I’m ecstatic! Anyone who has had an issue, please download the update as soon as possible and I hope it eliminates your HSPA+ bug issues as it has done for my 808. This update is available for other FP1 and FP2 devices so it is NOT exclusive to the 808. Let us know if you have the update and if it has eliminated the HSPA+ bug on your device. If you do not get the update on your device or via Nokia Suite, there are alternative methods online where you can download the sis file and install it.

Thank you Accenture, random developer, unsung hero, team equipped with 3kb can of Raid! You have changed a miserable experience into one that is so refreshing, so relieving that it makes all the past frustrations seem like a dream or a distant memory.

Sincerely,

Deaconclgi

Images and original article: Published by Steve Litchfield at 15:09 UTC, April 24th 2013 AAS

Video: PureView OIS in Nokia Lumia 920 vs UltraPixel HTC One

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 11:38 PM PDT

Quick heads up on another but quite thorough comparison between the O.I.S. found on Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC One.

I’m really surprised how smooth the video is when switching from the One to the 920.

Something interesting as you might have seen before from older Nokias is how low light video is initiated by reducing the frames per second. Should that be an option for Lumias.

The conclusion is that the 920 is the best performer for auto – whip it out and you’re good to go. The reviewer is just happy that an Android is finally ‘catching up’ to Nokia (well maybe this particular one, not the 808)

The One might be better for those who like to tweak settings (like the 808 users). You know my feelings about the UI of the camera. It’s good for point and shoot and it has improved over 7.5 BUT it still doesn’t take advantage of the screen space (it hides options in menus, like photo settings/video settings. Stupid MS. Stupid!)

JuanBagnell

Source: Reddit

29 April 2013

My Nokia Blog

MyDreamNokia #88: Nokia Mirror WP8+ Concept, 4.7″ 1080p, 18MP PureView+Xenon
Smaller People Hub Tiles; Forthcoming Update, or Bad Render?
Verizon Nokia Lumia 928 spotted in the wild? Same finish as 920 with edge to edge screen?
Justin Bieber, owner of a Red Nokia Lumia 720, 920 and Red Monster Nokia Purity Pro – Win some Purity Pros
Weekend Watch: Nokia Lumia Flame (521) on HSN Shopping Channel – T-Mobile no contract

MyDreamNokia #88: Nokia Mirror WP8+ Concept, 4.7″ 1080p, 18MP PureView+Xenon

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 01:39 PM PDT

Check out this very interesting new design by Edgar Mkrtchyan called the Nokia Mirror, due to the highly reflective material at the back.

It looks super futuristic. Specs wise, it’s fitting for a 2013 handset.

CPU 1+1 Cores, 1.2-1.8GHz
RAM: 2GB
Weight: 160g, 130x70x10mm
Camera: 18mp, Carl Zeiss, PureView, Xenon + LED, 1080p recording, 3MP secondary camera (might as well, since some are using them for group photos now)
Battery: 3200mAh
Mass Storage: 32gb/64gb
Monster loudspeakers

About "My Dream Nokia"

I'm sure you've dreamt up your PERFECT Nokia device/UI. What it would look like, what it would feel like, what features it would have. Why don't you share it with the world? Or at least with other Nokia fans .

It could be your own photoshopped or rendered work (seriously, you don't need mega skills in either, basic paint job is often enough to convey a concept) of your dream product.

SEND this in similarly to tips@mynokiablog.com with the title "My Dream Nokia" and perhaps the model number (and a little description, maybe a few specs in the message area? Though this bit not necessary).

Who knows, maybe an image might flutter over to Nokia and through whatever route end up being real.

Cheers Edgar Mkrtchyan!

Smaller People Hub Tiles; Forthcoming Update, or Bad Render?

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 03:30 AM PDT

In the Lumia 521 sales video on HSN they played a video promo for the Nokia “Flame”; the 521′s pre-release code name. In the promo they showed off the recent tiles in the people hub, which struck me as odd since it doesn’t match up with the current WP8 design, nor the previous WP7 design.

In WP8 the recent tiles are listed in a vertical layout of 8 tiles maximum as seen below, also note that the hub itself is a “panoramic view” (meaning you can see the edge of the neighboring pane without swiping out). In WP7 the recent tiles were arranged in a left-to-right panoramic view of also 8 contacts maximum, rather than the new vertical layout in WP8.

In the recent contacts on the 521 however they appear as a full size app displaying multiple small tile sized contacts (with the possible potential of more than 8 contacts). Of course this is pretty useful since you are obviously getting more use out of the same “hub”, especially since the recent contacts on my 920 are usually filled with contacts from my room chats; rather than people I actually called.

So what does this mean? Possibly nothing, it could be a shoddy render job by Nokia or their advertising team, or it could be a glimpse of how WP8 was supposed to deal with recent contacts; or dare we hope, it could be an option in a upcoming update? Something around the lines of “choose recent contact tile size” or “Number of recent contacts to be displayed” (similar to the recent posts option in baconit).

While we’re on the subject of the recent contacts, I do wish there was a way to pin it as a live tile; especially since it’s a lot prettier than the call list.

So what do you guys think?

Verizon Nokia Lumia 928 spotted in the wild? Same finish as 920 with edge to edge screen?

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 02:21 AM PDT

There is no picture, just a story from Reddit whereby a store clerk (probably Verizon?) was met with another customer (who later turns out to be a Verizon exec?) who had a Nokia Lumia 928.

The screen was said to be beautiful and noticeably lighter than the 920.
Same (polycarbonate?) finish as the Nokia Lumia 920 but the screen goes edge to edge.

We’re told we wouldn’t have to wait long (so it’s still being pushed out)

Source: Reddit

Justin Bieber, owner of a Red Nokia Lumia 720, 920 and Red Monster Nokia Purity Pro – Win some Purity Pros

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 02:08 AM PDT

At the start of the weekend, we heard that another well known Canadian was in Finland as part of his Scandinavian tour.

Nokia gave the Justin Bieber a customised Red Nokia Lumia 720, 920 and a matching Monster Nokia Purity Pros.

If you want to win some Purity Pros in red, all you’ll have to do is share the name of your favourite Justin Bieber song.

http://conversations.nokia.com/2013/04/26/lumia-found-on-justin-biebers-tour-bus-in-finland/

These Purity Pros are my favourite Nokia accessories ever!

Cheers Sakkib for the tip!

Weekend Watch: Nokia Lumia Flame (521) on HSN Shopping Channel – T-Mobile no contract

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 10:28 PM PDT

When I used to watch a lot of TV (not so much now) I sometimes ended up transfixed by the sales pitch of random people on shopping channels.

It’s even more entertaining when you watch a sales pitch of a product you might know back to front already.

I love how excited these guys are about the new ‘Windows 8 smartphone’ the Nokia Lumia 521 haha. Quite rightly however, it’s because these features are appearing at such a low price that they’ve never seen before.

Some amazing comments:

One of the most in demand phones in the world
It’s a phablet.

28 April 2013

My Nokia Blog

Video: Nokia Lumia 720 vs Samsung Galaxy SIV – quick browser demo (Droidlag?)
TheRegister: Nokia Lumia 520 Review, “At last – an alternative to Landfill Android”
Lumiappdates: Extras + Info updated to v1.9.1.42
Weekend Watch: Nokia India, Nokia Lumia 520 Speed Challenge

Video: Nokia Lumia 720 vs Samsung Galaxy SIV – quick browser demo (Droidlag?)

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 09:46 AM PDT

We received this video from Eugen aka @jenjaman who’s friend did a comparison between the Nokia Lumia 720 and Samsung Galaxy SIV browser. Admittedly this did not occur it seems at the same time or same location (so possibly not the same signal).

The test carried out seems to have been navigation a heavy page that had already been loaded, so rendering times was not something being compared here. Oddly the SGSIV’s browser seemed to stutter.

Hi Jay! I want to tip your team with an interesting video made by my Russian friend @serenitatis.

He picked a video made in the shop with Galaxy S4 lagging on a heavy site and compared it to Lumia 720. I think it’s worth a look

Browsing performance across WP devices is generally a super consistent experience. Having a larger screen with HD+ resolution will make a difference to some (who would choose to opt for the 920). Despite all that processing power, you might expect a completely lag free experience on the SGSIV. I’ll give this particular Droid the benefit of the doubt until we see similar results in future (new software/defective unit?).

mascon1982

Cheers Eugen for the tip!

TheRegister: Nokia Lumia 520 Review, “At last – an alternative to Landfill Android”

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 05:09 AM PDT

As Android moved into Nokia’s Symbian phone low-mid price points, that’s when things really started to hurt for Nokia as that was once their main domain.

Now Nokia seems to be bringing that fight back again with the Nokia Lumia 520. It’s a budget entry level smartphone BUT the experience is of something much higher.

The Register says the 520 is finally the alternative to the ‘landfill androids’ a term meaning “utterly generic” and “uninspiring” handsets.

At a “quite ridiculous” £99, Nokia is said to have made the right compromises in the 520 (in terms of keeping the main core experiences of WP8)

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/26/lumia_520_review

Via: Reddit

Lumiappdates: Extras + Info updated to v1.9.1.42

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 05:03 AM PDT

Some more under the hood improvements to improve your Nokia Lumia experience as Extras + Info gets an update.

Weekend Watch: Nokia India, Nokia Lumia 520 Speed Challenge

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 01:41 AM PDT

Here’s a little promo from Nokia India showing off the speed of the Nokia Lumia 520.

It’s a bit like the smoked by Lumia thing except this time it’s just the Nokia Lumia 520 on its own.

NokiaIndiaOfficial

Cheers manu for the tip!

3 Reasons You Need a Quicker Checkout!

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27 April 2013

My Nokia Blog

Keep Your Lumia up to Date with “Lumia Pusher”
MyDreamNokia #87: Super Slim Nokia Lumia 750 WP8 Concept
Spotted: Yellow Nokia Lumia 920 and Grazi Massafera on popular Brazilian TV Soap
Nokia Lumia 920 vs SGSIV (vs HTC One vs iPhone 5)
Dodge and Cox US investors increases ownership of Nokia to 6%

Keep Your Lumia up to Date with “Lumia Pusher”

Posted: 26 Apr 2013 11:00 AM PDT

One of the coolest things about having a Nokia Windows Phone is the constant stream of updates, tweaks and fixes that Nokia provide to the OS through their own system apps; meaning you don’t have to wait for an update from Microsoft to make your phone even cooler. These “apps” are updated almost once a week, sometimes with no visible change-log; but it does feel nice to know that everything is up to date, which is where Lumia Pusher comes to play. Lumia Pusher gives you direct links to all the Nokia featured updates so you can manually force the update in the store if it hasn’t shown up in your marketplace yet. Pretty cool huh?

Grab Lumia Pusher for free from over here:

http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=492cccf5-6352-4c77-8e5f-fd267bcddafb

Via

Thanks for the tip Derrek Leigh

MyDreamNokia #87: Super Slim Nokia Lumia 750 WP8 Concept

Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:10 AM PDT

Here’s possibly what folks might have been expecting from the 720. In addition to looking to be much slimmer, it’s pretty much the Nokia Lumia 920 in a more compact package – OIS, PureMotionHD and 1GB RAM.

- Windows Phone 8.0
- Dual Core 1.5 GHz
- Puremotion HD+ , ClearBlack Display, Super-Sensitive Display
- RAM 1GB
- Pureview Camera 8 MP (OIS)
- 1080p Video Record
- Wireless Charging
- 2300 MAh Battery
- Bluetooth 4.0
- LTE 4G
- NFC
- (8 – 32) GB Internal Memory

Cheers Duta for the tip!

Spotted: Yellow Nokia Lumia 920 and Grazi Massafera on popular Brazilian TV Soap

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 11:48 PM PDT

Rafael emailed this story of the Nokia Lumia 920 in yellow being spotted on Brazil’s most popular TV network with one of the top soaps.

As you can see, the 920 is being used by one of the leading actresses, the beautiful Grazi Massafera.

Brazil has many soap operas, and the most popular nationwide TV channel (called Globo) airs 4 soap operas a day (except on Sundays).

One of those soap operas, currently airing and called “Flor do Caribe” (Caribbean Flower) has its leading role actress sporting a beautiful yellow Nokia Lumia 920 !!1

Link with photos and article (in Portuguese):

http://faixamobi.com/2013/04/01/nokia-na-tv-grazi-massafera-usa-um-lumia-920-amarelo-na-novela-flor-do-caribe-da-tv-globo/

Cheers Rafael for the tip!

Nokia Lumia 920 vs SGSIV (vs HTC One vs iPhone 5)

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 11:43 PM PDT