My Nokia Blog

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• Asphalt 8 for Windows Phone and Windows 8: The best port ever!
• Microsoft branded phone already in the works? Waiting for Nokia Deal to clear…SurfacePhone? MS Lumia?
• Nokia Imaging SDK 1.0
• Nokia Refocus Launched for Lumia PureView devices (92x/1020/1520 )
• Jolla confirms HERE for Sailfish location services; Details app strategy
• Camera Test: Action shots and low light: , Nokia Lumia 1020 wins against Xperia Z1, Galaxy S4 and HTC One
• Nokia Lumia 1020 vs Nokia 808 PureView Camera Comparison.

Asphalt 8 for Windows Phone and Windows 8: The best port ever! Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:38 PM PST Hello MNB Readers, You may have heard that Asphalt 8 has been released for Windows Phone and Windows 8 today and that is correct. What you may not have heard is that Gameloft has ported the game perfectly to both operating systems from the original iOS game. I kid you not, it is THE BEST port that I have ever seen!!! The graphics, the sound, the gameplay, high polygon car models, high-resolution textures, great background details and so forth. Why am I super excited at the quality of the port? It’s simple, this is a Nokia centric blog and I remember the kind of SLOPPY ports that Nokia fans are used to getting! I remember where we have come from: Asphalt 6 HD: Symbian^3 and Android graphical comparison. "…..The textures are all low-res, there is pop-up, there are slowdowns in places, the look around controls in the garage are choppy, the in-game lighting is dramatically reduced. The biggest offender is that HALF of the trackside detail is MISSING/LEFT OUT!!! So much so that I initially wanted a refund. Buildings, trees, boats, planes, fish, flags and whole sections of track detail has been REMOVED! With half the details, no wonder it runs smoother than Asphalt 5. Even the in-race cars don't have the same detail as they did at the car selection screen. This is a sloppy effort. It seems that Gloft can't code for Synbian^3 that well or just doesn't want to invest in a proper port. Even the menus and colors are low res and watered down.” Well dear readers, we do not have to suffer with watered down ports of big name games anymore. Gameloft has delivered! Asphalt 8 on Windows Phone looks, sounds and plays just as good as it does on iOS and Android. Mind you, I have been playing this game since August on my iPad 4, a powerful mobile gaming device, and I have been polygon and texture peeping the Windows Phone version and t is just as amazing looking! It is unbelievable. NONE of the problems listed in my quote above can be held against this port of Asphalt 8. Let’s get to it: From the Windows Store description: *****LEAVE GRAVITY IN THE DUST***** The best arcade racing game series reaches a new turning point! Perform dynamic, high-speed aerial stunts in an intense driving experience powered by a brand-new physics engine! LUXURY DREAM CARS • 47 high-performance cars (80% of them NEW!) • Top licensed manufacturers like Lamborghini & Ferrari • Newly recorded high-fidelity car motor sounds for realistic audio immersion GET AIRBORNE • Hit the ramps and take the race above • Perform barrel rolls and wild 360º jumps • Maneuver through the air, pulling stunts while racing NEW EXOTIC LOCATIONS • Race in 9 different settings like Venice, Guiana & the Nevada Desert! • Discover plenty of hidden shortcuts NEW FEATURES FOR SPEED FREAKS • 8 seasons & 180 events in Career mode • A detailed damage system • Check out the new Infected and Drift Gate game modes SIMULTANEOUS MULTIPLAYER & GHOST CHALLENGES • Simultaneous multiplayer action for up to 8 real opponents! • Dare friends to asynchronous races • New leaderboards MUSIC TO REV YOUR SOUL • A heart-thumping mix of amazing licensed music for your game • Featuring real tracks from Bloc Party, Mutemath & The Crystal Method! A game for fans of extreme arcade racing, with real dream cars and phenomenal graphics that will also please racing simulation enthusiasts. Here are some in-game screenshots from my Lumia 1020. Screenshots do not do the game justice…this game is the real deal and a showpiece for your Windows Phone. The game is a steal at $.99 and can be purchased in the Windows Phone Store via the link below. The Windows 8 version is even more amazing due to the resolution and frame rate being native to your monitor/computer. It also has full Xbox 360 controller support and it is simply stunning that such an amazing game can be bought for your computer for a mere $1.99! Asphalt 8: Airborne – Windows Phone - Windows 8 Now, before anyone complains about paying for the game instead of it being free like it CURRENTLY is on iOS and Android, keep this in mind: I posted this comment on WPCentral as A LOT of readers are complaining about all kinds of things: Deaconclgi says: …Asphalt 8 wasn’t free on iOS or Android to start with. The version that is free is functionally different from the paid version. The free version has game boosting IAPs that the paid version did not have. The WP version is the same initial release that was on iOS and Android and it does NOT include those IAPs just like the paid version for those platforms. This isn’t a matter of the SAME GAME being free on other platforms, A8 free and A8 paid have different features. If the WP version is indeed updated to be the same free version then expect the awesome IAPs and a free lunch. The A8 free IAPs, at least the 2x Credits for 24hours are worth it. I have been playing A8 since it launched on the iPad and I promise you, there is more of a difference between the paid and free versions. I paid for A8 and when it became free, Gameloft gave me more free IAPs than it costed to buy the game in the first place AND more vehicles and tracks and events. Really, it is $.99 that most people don’t have to pay upfront anyway as it is billed to their cellular provider and people still complain. Complain that big name games are not on Windows Phone. Complain when they cost $4. Complain when they cost .99 cents. Complain when they are free and have OPTIONAL IAPs. Complain because there are no Xbox achievements. Complain that the Xbox certification process takes too long. Complain that the apps take too long to be released. Complain of sloppy ports with low resolution textures and graphics. Complain when a high quality port that matches other OSes in graphics and features but the download file is near a GB or more…..just like on other OSes….complain complain complain…. Why should developers spend time and money developing for Windows phone or the Windows ecosystem again? If you love racing games or even just love amazing graphics, sound and gameplay, by all means, download Asphalt 8: Airborne for Windows Phone or Windows 8. I bought the game on Windows Phone and Windows 8 and I even made a $1.99 IAP purchase to get all the class D cars. The Gameloft that we are dealing with now isn’t treating us like they did with Symbian ports. They have my full support! What are you waiting on? Have you downloaded Asphalt 8 for your device or computer? Are you surprised at the quality of the port? Has the addition of high quality ports changed your or someone’s opinion of the Windows Phone ecosystem? With the addition Vine, Nokia Refocus and other big name apps, things are looking better than ever for Windows Phone users as developers are putting in some quality time with the platform. As always, thank you for choosing MyNokiaBlog, enjoy the game! Asphalt 8: Airborne – Windows Phone - Windows 8 Deaconclgi

Microsoft branded phone already in the works? Waiting for Nokia Deal to clear…SurfacePhone? MS Lumia? Posted: 13 Nov 2013 12:34 PM PST   Despite previously saying MS wasn’t making their own phone, especially since they have hardware partners like Nokia making great devices, MS are now reported to be making their own phone. A director at WP MS India is reported to have said: We are waiting for regulatory clearances on the Nokia deal to merge the devices and hardware business, with Microsoft's software business. The Microsoft-branded phone is under review, but in the meanwhile we continue to work with our partners like Huawei, Samsung and HTC for Windows OS handsets. Surface phone? MS Lumia? Or something else? Since MS isn’t allowed to use Nokia in smartphones, the name Nokia is going to be phased out of the Lumia branded devices. Whether Lumia itself will stay is another thing. It is somewhat of a shame, but it could be a signal that perhaps Nokia wants to get back in the game later down the line when they’re no longer prohibited from selling phones (that 2 year space). Soure: dnaindia Cheers Alvester for the tip!

Nokia Imaging SDK 1.0 Posted: 13 Nov 2013 12:28 PM PST Nokia’s released the latest version of their Nokia Imaging SDK (V1.0) for WP developers. heNokia Imaging SDK gives developers access to filters, effects and on-screen rendering options that are unlike any other library on Windows Phone. The Imaging SDK is available exclusively for Windows Phone developers. It includes more than 50 built-in filters such as Sepia, Black & White, Mirror, Tones, and Chromakey, which enables "green screen" magic to come to life so a developer can provide a background to render objects in. A lot of interesting imaging apps have already been in Beta using Nokia’s Imaging SDK. These should be available in the near future. Cheers Alvester for the tip!   Source: NokConv

Nokia Refocus Launched for Lumia PureView devices (92x/1020/1520 ) Posted: 13 Nov 2013 04:11 AM PST Nokia Refocus has just landed on the Windows Phone store and is available for all current Nokia Lumia Pureview devices. This means if you have a Lumia 920, 925,928 or 1020, and have Lumia Amber – you’re good to go. Obviously, the Lumia 1520 will support it also when it launches in a little over a week. Can’t wait to put this to the test on the Lumia 1020 I’ve gotten in for trial recently. http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=0b5cc26d-a723-4c69-8be3-66bbd9b2bed1 Source: Nokia Conversations

Jolla confirms HERE for Sailfish location services; Details app strategy Posted: 13 Nov 2013 01:19 AM PST We saw that HERE is coming to Tizen and recently the T&C’s of the Jolla Developer Portal mentioned HERE for location services. Moments ago, Jolla officially confirmed via press release that Nokia’s HERE business will be powering location services on their Sailfish platform. Alongside this, they outlined that as part of their Android app compatibility solution, they will allow installing of Android apps via the Yandex Store. This store “will provide in-app purchase opportunities and is available on smartphones and tablets in 37 languages”. With over 85k apps in their catalogue, Yandex are a strong partner for Jolla to have as they launch Sailfish. On the app side of things, there are of course native apps. Jolla this past week launched “Jolla Harbour” – the app submission portal for developers. We have already seen a few app developers submit and get their apps approved, which is a great thing to see. With Slush 2013 just around the corner, I have a feeling we will see Jolla unveil more information about their plans to release the first device. Interesting times indeed. Source: Jolla

Camera Test: Action shots and low light: , Nokia Lumia 1020 wins against Xperia Z1, Galaxy S4 and HTC One Posted: 12 Nov 2013 11:48 PM PST   Phones4U – a retailer in the UK for phones have a series comparing smartphone cameras since camera performance is becoming a bigger and more important part of consumer choice. In their first episode they compare capturing action. Quite funnily enough, I read from a comment at NokConvs that Nokias were notorious for “slow shutter speeds” which is odd since I’ve enjoyed capturing action shots from the likes of my N82 in sport mode, or N8 at night with that Xenon. Most certainly with the 1020 with uber fast shutter speeds (controllable in manual mode). And Phones4U agrees in their test. I can understand that there are situations where in low light setting, no flash, the shutter is open longer whilst the OIS reduces hand blur. That’s when you can get blur if the subject moves. Usually though, those kind of subjects are far away (night time scenery) that don’t move anyway. If they’re close enough, I use xenon. So complete FAIL by the comment above that ANYTHING that moves you can forget it. You can try it out yourself. Wave your hand so fast that you can’t see it with your own eyes and then snap a pic with the 1020 and xenon flash. I don’t think any of the competing handsets here can capture that. Now where you might miss the shot is in that start up time from Nokia Camera. It just needs to be faster please. Oh, here’s episode 2 where Phones4U compares low light. They note they can see things in the 1020 that they couldn’t with their eyes. In indoor lighting, it creates a really cinematic image. Blacks superb whilst retaining colour highlight accuracy. Even at 10x crop, noise is at a minimum compared to Z1, One, SGSIV with little motion blur. Via WMPU

Nokia Lumia 1020 vs Nokia 808 PureView Camera Comparison. Posted: 12 Nov 2013 11:31 PM PST Marc from ThePureViewClub has been playing around with his “new” Nokia Lumia 1020. New in the sense that his old one got replaced after some readers noted differences in results they were getting. He’s now getting better results, though with that infamous amber tinge. http://pureviewclub.com/2013/18891 He returns to the original comparison with the 808 http://pureviewclub.com/2013/18994 The conclusion surprises us too. I've always been and still am an ardent fan of the Nokia 808 PureView. But after writing this post just now, armed with a remarkably better version of the Nokia Lumia 1020, I finally feel confident in stating the Lumia 1020 might even be (hold on to your seats) better than the Nokia 808 PureView. Wow. One thing to note. There’s much improvement to go with the 1020. When Nokia updates the 1020 with Nokia Black and Nokia Camera captures in RAW (dng), apparently the processing of that RAW image can produce samples with virtually no noise.

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