Smaato SDK to help Windows Phone users monetize their apps!

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   The collaborations of Microsoft with new platforms and partners goes on and the following teamwork marks with Smaato SDK which is said to secure the monetization of Windows and Windows Phone and as the official Windows blog suggests,

“Smaato provides a mobile RTB ad exchange and Supply Side Platform that can connect your apps with 199+ DSPs and 138+ ad networks. In addition to being easy to setup and integrate, the Smaato SDK provides developers the ability to include demographic data for precision targeting and leading to a greater return on investment and higher eCPM.”

   Those apps which have been built with Silverlight 8.1 may also go on using the Smaato Windows 8.0 SDK.  In addition, the official blog also points out:

“Apps using multiple ad SDKs often perform better than those using a single ad SDK. Windows recently announced the availability of Windows ad mediation for managing multiple in-app advertising SDKs, including Smaato. In our testing, ad mediation delivered a fill rate of over 95%, with a measurable increase in eCPM.”

   Thus you may download the Smaato SDK for Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 and get the in-app advertising ROI to maximum perfecting the performance with Windows ad mediator. 

Microsoft is said to make Cortana available for other platforms

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   Rumours are going round that Microsoft management came with an ambitious initiative to expand the recently launched virtual personal assistant – Cortana across devices, platforms and regions and the evaluation of the merits of bringing it to other platforms like Android and iOS is in process.

    Business Insider reports that Microsoft chief experience officer Julie Larson-Green told a group of journalists and analysts that Cortana could be destined to land on other OSes and when asked whether  that meant Cortana would eventually come to other operating systems, Larson-Green said, "The short answer is, yeah."

    The answer is positive but it’s not a trivial challenge. The experience of using Cortana on a system like iOS or Android would not be as rich or easy as it is on Windows Phone. Microsoft likely won't be able to tap into hardware keys to quickly call up Cortana as it does by a press of the search key on Windows Phone.

    Taking into account all the pros and cons of bringing Cortana to other platforms, Marcus Ash, group program manager for Cortana on Windows Phone pointed that the decision to do so is more complicated that it may seem from first sight. He points.

     "We want to scale Cortana internationally and across devices. The Android/iOS question is interesting. We're asking, would Cortana be as effective if she didn't have access to the details on your phone? We're still trying to get Cortana adopted on Windows Phone and figure out what it wants to become there. But we're actively talking about this”.

    "Clearly we want people to buy Windows, we have a bunch of Windows customers, hundreds of millions that have Windows PCs and would love for them to have a great Cortana experience because once they have that they will probably consider other devices and say 'Well, I want to match them up.' But how do we get Android users or these other iOS users that use Windows to have a great experience?"

    In the process of evaluation more and more important questions come forth. “How Cortana would affect traditional smartphone search?”

   Ash said the integration of the search box and the virtual assistant is the goal, "The search box is what people know. That's why we're trying to bring [it and Cortana] together. The declarative intent of traditional search saves us so much effort - if you tell us what your interest are via search, Cortana gets so much better. We think Cortana makes you more likely to search, it doesn't replace search."

    Want to learn more? Don’t hesitate to watch the video from the SMX Advanced search marketing conference in Seattle.

Meet Microsoft Lumia 535 Windows Phone!

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Microsoft officially announced about the launch of spanking new Lumia 535 Windows Phone which comes as the following affordable and totally perfect smartphone for those who always go for the balance of pricing and quality putting both into the limits of reasonable.

    Thus what makes this smartphone so special is that it confirms the intention of Microsoft to drop Nokia and present the new devices as Microsoft Lumia phones.

Secondly, this smartphone seems to be the conglomeration of the top useful features and functions of Lumia Phones offered at a very suitable price.

    Particularly we are speaking about the “5x5x5” principle encompassing a 5-inch screen and 5-megapixel front- and rear-facing camera which thus go on with the array of Lumia Selfie phones offering just as high-quality experience as in case of the flagship Lumia 730 and 735 models.

    Further, the smartphone from Microsoft also includes free integrated Microsoft experiences like Skype and OneNote. The two versions the phone is presented are 3G Single SIM and 3G Dual SIM both of which are coming with the Windows 8.1 OS and the Lumia Denim Update.

    Further we may also note about the super personalized features and functions that the phone offers, including “one-swipe Action Center, Word Flow, Live Folders and Cortana (where available).”

Coming to technical specifications we should first of all note the 1.2 GHZ quad-core processor and 1GB RAM and the cool apps like Subway Surfers, Microsoft Office and Lumia Selfie.

This smartphone doesn’t have any problems with memory, either, since it comes with an 8 GB of memory and a chance to upgrade it with a micro SD up to 128 GB along with the 15 GB of OneDrive Storage.

    In addition the device comes with a Bluetooth LE support for better audio experience and a possibility to use the Portable Wireless Speaker, too.

    For the fans of bright colors the phone is going to be available in Cyan, Green, Orange, Dark Grey, and Black starting from November “at an estimated RRP of 110 EUR before taxes and subsidies with sales starting in China, Hong Kong and USA, with other countries to follow.”

So here is the official hands-on for Lumia 535 which also presents the key details about this smartphone:

    So if you were looking for a suitable low-cost and really smart smartphone then this might be a very suitable alternative for you. All you need to do is just wait until it becomes available in your region and just enjoy the great personalized experience with Microsoft Lumia. 

Photo Courtesy of Microsoft

Dropbox coming to Windows Phone soon

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    In a recent article Dropbox official blog announced about the long-awaited collaboration with Microsoft, particularly speaking about the integration of Dropbox storage into Microsoft Office files. Thus according to the official announcement and demonstration, the option to save files directly to Dropbox account will be available right from the default menu of Office. 

Thus, speaking about the possible integration of Dropbox with Windows Phone, the former also noted that it will probably be possible to realize in the “coming months.”

Thus we are actively following the development of these events and you just need to go on following the updates and news we constantly come up with in order to know all that’s happening in the tech world of Windows Phone.

Meanwhile you may also use the third-party substitutes for Dropbox like Rudy Huyn’s CloudSix client in order to have the basic features provided by Dropbox. 

The top 4 Free Chess apps you may try with your Windows Phone

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We are continuing to follow the developments of Windows Phone apps, and this time chess is in our focus and we are going to speak about the top four chess apps available for free in Windows Phone Store for now, which can provide you with a number of col features and great experience especially if you are a beginner. Thus, here is the functional analyses of the basic features that these apps provide you with having a look at which you may already figure out which one you need more.

Thus the list goes as follows:

Top 4 Chess apps for Windows Phone

1. Chess By Post Free

This is the first app we would like to speak about, noting the following features:

• Simple interface
• Customization of the chess board color
• Possibility to play online with ranked players, with Facebook friends, your friends registered in the game, or with a friend who is just beside you with the very same phone passing the phone back and forth.
• Report about your ranking with a day-by-day progress
• Chance to play with multiple users at the same time
• Chance to confirm your move before actually making it
• Online resumable with the possibility to run the app in the background with live notifications about the moves of the opponents 

2. Chess4All

Chess4All is the following popular app that you may try out, coming with some interesting specifications like on-line learning and chance to follow the play of other users, one of the significant drawbacks of which is the absence of the chance to resume the game after shifting to another app meanwhile. 

• Appealing interface with some nice design elements
• Section for tips for beginners
• Chess puzzles
• Possibility to watch other players’ games
• Chance to play with the computer, with online players, with a friend registered or sitting beside you
• Chance to use hints and to undo a move when playing with the computer, and with the agreement of the opponent

3. 3D Chess 

If you like 3D effects, then this app is just what you need for playing chess with your Windows Phone. Here you may have the chance to play both with the computer and with your friends, rotating and moving the board in 3D mode however you may like. 

• 3D modifiable board on which you may have a look from different angles
• Modifiable design with colors, with adjustable level of opponents
• Possibility to zoom the board to the level you like
• A quick tutorial of the figures and their features as well as the main moves that may be used
• Chance to play with the computer or with a friend
• Modifiable game duration

4. Chess Time

Finally, Chess Time is the last but least significant app you may try out, which is different from the other three we spoke about in terms of formal registration and chance to revoke your password using your e-mail. In addition, here you also have the chance to play with users from the same location and also have more information about your opponent. 

• Account creation
• In-detail account of personal account rating and information
• Chance to invite players from your current location
• Chance to add a player to your friend list
• Chat
• Chance for position analysis during the game
• Confirmation of moves before making them
• Chance to view the board as the opponent
• Chance to see the details of the account of the opponent

Thus, here were the top apps that allow you to have a game of chess with your Windows Phone, out of which you may pick the one you like most. In addition, you may just test them separately and decide everything according to your preferences and wishes! Your Windows Phone really knows how to play chess. 

WhatsApp Beta comes with a full compatibility with Windows Phone 8.1

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WhatsApp Beta comes up with a range of more diversified and improved features, suggesting full compatibility with Windows Phone 8.1. The latest version that the app is said to come up with is 2.11.582. One of the most significant and cool improvements that the update is said to include is the battery consumption which used to be one of the most vital and noteworthy details about the previous versions of WhatsApp.

One more added function that is said to include some new features like the ability to crop images for using them as a background.

Thus we will be following the further development of this app pointing out the exact list of improvements and new features. 

Alcatel is planning to team up with Microsoft for Windows Phone development!

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Despite the fact that the collaborations between Alcatel and Windows have not been that many in number for the recent years, it looks like they are about to acquire a new breath of fresh air soon marking the collaboration of Microsoft with Alcatel in terms of introducing new Windows smartphones from Alcatel. This is what we’ve learnt after an interview of vice president of Alcatel Dan Dery to The Guardian.

Particularly, in the interview Dery noted,

"Carriers from across the world have consistently told us that entry-level Windows Phones work, but not at the high end. We don't know whether that's because Windows Phone is very good for entry level smartphones, or because people have been looking to get a Nokia device at an affordable price."

And the intention to start over a teamwork with Microsoft is especially true to life after the launch of Windows 10, speaking about which, Dery also mentioned,

"Windows is the most converged OS between smartphone, tablet and laptop to date. We are very happy to have a partner interested in conversion, because our users do not want complicated systems – they want something familiar from their work environment in the office, but on a smartphone."

So we are again impatient to discover the new Windows Phone devices from new producers and as a result of new collaborations, Alcatel being one of the most anticipated ones. 

New BBM beta for Windows Phone comes soon with a whole lot of new features

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According to the official Blackberry report, the newest BBM beta for iOS, Android and Windows Phone will soon be available for the users offering them some really useful and great features with enhanced capabilities and new improved performance.

The two most significant and essential features, as the description suggests are the following:

Timed Messages

By setting a timer you can control how long messages and pictures you share with contacts can be viewed within BBM. Setting the timer is super easy: Before you send your message or picture, you just tap on the timer icon next to the text bar and choose a length of time you want the recipient to be able to view that message. The message is hidden until the recipient touches and holds on the chat. Then, once the timer has expired (or if the recipient takes their finger off the screen), the message is no longer visible. What I love about the timer is that I can move seamlessly between timed messages and normal messages in a single chat depending on what I’m sending. Oh, and don’t get any smart ideas about screen shots…if a screen shot is detected, the sender is notified.

Message Retraction

We’ve all been there, that time when you sent a message to the wrong person. Wouldn’t it be great if you could recall that message before they see it? Or maybe you’ve sent a piece of sensitive info to a contact – like your credit card number so they can buy some concert tix for you – and you don’t want that information to remain in the BBM chat it… Well, now you can retract your message to remove it from your BBM chat. Just touch and hold on the message you want to retract and choose ‘retract message’ from the menu. This one works with messages, not pictures, and is only available in one-to-one chats.

Thus, these two are probably the coolest and the most useful features that could ever be added to BBM, facilitating the messaging process enormously! These are probably the biggest wanna-haves of the users ever!

So let’s just wait and see what else may follow these improvements for now simply having a look at the official video preview available. 

New custom Cortana ringtones for Windows Phone available

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Cortana gets smarter and smarter and that’s certainly out of discussion! Still, there are even more details and features that you may add to your Windows Phone in order to make it more functional and cool, you can also add a range of new ringtones for your Windows Phone, too, and what’s special about these ringtones is that they all feature the lovely and familiar voice of Cortana telling you specific messages about specific actions like e-mails, incoming calls, and much more.

This has become true due to the wonderful work of redditer clang_ley who introduced the list of ringtones uploaded to his OneDrive. Despite the fact that the ringtones are not HQ as the creator notes, they are quite successful and cool and they really make us wait for some more works and news which do have some promising development prospects.

So you may get these ringtones from the OneDrive account and enjoy the cool features they suggest. 

Story from Reddit

Windows App Studio updated with new features and capabilities

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Apart from coming up with new and great promotional opportunities for app developers Microsoft now also presents some improvements for Windows App Studio adding 9 languages supported and also introducing Windows Phone 8.1 sideloading. In addition, there have also been some major changes in the layout, structure and design finished up with some basic PCL improvements.

Thus, introducing the basic list provided by Microsoft, we may speak about the following options:

• Windows Phone 8.1 Sideloading – this feature provides the opportunity to generate and quickly test the new Windows App Studio apps thus having faster and better performance.
• 9 new languages added - Chinese (simplified and traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish are added to the interface thus providing the representatives and the users of these languages with more chances of successful and efficient work.
• New Page Layouts – the main trick about this feature is the chance to assign multiple columns of data instead of just one pane generally used for Phone apps. So this lets the developers to test and have better optimized views for phone, tablet, and PC.
• Static Collections and Html - this feature allows to store all the static resources as json or html files in Shared/Assets/Data folder thus enabling easier modification of the created code displaying content in the app.
• Data Bind in Design Time – with the help of this feature you have the chance to make modifications to the layouts and see the changes and the real data even with Blend.
• PCL Improvements – finally, with PCL improvements the developers have the chance to build codes using the Xamarin PCL profile.

Thus, here is one more quite significant and essential thing for the improvement and promotion of Windows Phone apps, enabling the developers to come up with new and interesting apps expanding the Windows Phone Store circle as well.In addition, you may also learn everything more in-detail from Windows official blog.  

Microsoft announces new capabilities for developers to promote their Windows and Windows Phone Apps!

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So after having come up with some major improvements for developers in order to facilitate the process of creating and adding their apps to the app stores of Windows and Windows Phone, Microsoft makes this process even more enjoyable and easy, adding some more really significant improvements which will enable the users to have new capabilities and new opportunities for coming up with new and unique apps. So it’s all about the new features in pubCenter basically aimed at promoting a better discoverability and consequently providing the developers with new chances to present their apps.

Thus the basic improvements generally go as follows:

• Platform Expansion: Developers can now use advertising to promote their Windows apps in addition to their Windows Phone apps
• Market Expansion: Developers can now promote their apps in several English-speaking markets globally, including Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, and US.
• Additional Improvements, including:

1. Campaign budgets have increased to $500/month (the previous limit was $100/month)
2. Pause, reactivate, or delete a “promote your app” campaign with the click of a button
3. Customize the look and feel of your ads by selecting from among several background colors and patterns
4. Get started faster – just search for your app’s name vs. typing/pasting in an app URL.  Tip: make sure you select “Windows” or “Windows Phone” when searching for an app name.
5. Windows Phone developers can now launch a “promote your app” campaign from within Dev Center.  Just select ‘dashboard’, and then go to the Windows phone dashboard to launch your “promote your app” campaign.  Note: We look forward to enabling similar functionality for Windows developers in the near future.

Thus, we are really excited and enthusiastic about these improvements which already do matter in the overall facilitation and manageability of the new apps that are still to be created making one more important step on the rapid expansion of Windows and Windows Phone Stores.

You may learn more details right from Microsoft Advertising where the process of submission and promotion of the new apps are explained in-detail. 

Lumia 1020 functionality taken to the next level including astronomical investigations!

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Lumia 1020 with its super powerful 41 Megapixel camera now opens absolutely new opportunities and levels of functionality going towards a totally different and revolutionary direction! Particularly, it’s all about the new project called Ultrascope, which involves a 3D printable device which, when operating with Lumia 1020, enables the users to create a powerful and quite professional automated robotic observatory giving the users too chance to capture professional-grade celestial images from wherever you may like.

As James Parr, the creator of this device, notes,

“We’re inspired that we live in an era where consumer technology now allows us to do things that were only exclusively available to professionals just a few years ago. Keen amateur astronomers can now download this design and software, 3D print and assemble their own hardware, which is an amazing development. It opens up opportunities for people who have been gazing at the stars their whole lives, but haven’t, until now, been able to get involved. Powered by Lumia smartphones, our hope is that hundreds of Ultrascopes will be assembled, enabling a large number of people to contribute to new discoveries as they explore the night sky.”

So this is really great news and we are really excited to learn about the super innovative and stunning developments of Lumia Phones and especially the multiple directions they take.