Microsoft certifies more than 75,000 apps for Windows Phone 8 in 2012

Microsoft has certified more than 75,000 apps for its latest smartphone operating system, Windows Phone 8. On its official blog, Microsoft claims that on average, a Windows Phone user downloaded more than 54 apps per person. The Windows Blog says, “Over the last year we’ve certified and published over 75,000 new apps and games (more than doubling the catalog size) and over 300,000 app updates. In addition, this year we added the capability for customers to tell us if they have a concern about an app.”

Microsoft's senior director for Windows Marketplace, Todd Brix said, "As a direct result of our investments, Windows Phone customers now download, buy, and use more apps than at any time since we first launched Windows Phone 7 two years ago."

Based on customer feedback, Microsoft also found that 85 percent of Windows Phone 8 users indicate they would choose apps with Live Tile functionality over those without. The company said that it also worked to expand opportunities for developers this year. Microsoft has seen a 40 percent increase in month-over-month developer revenue in the 30 days since the current SDK release.

Windows Phone 8 was met with a mixed response when it was launched. The OS finally brought with it features that bring it at par with iOS and Android. Some of these features include expandable memory, support for multi-core processors and high resolution display, and more. The downside to the launch of the OS was that existing smartphones in the market that ran Windows Phone 7.5 were not eligible to receive the new OS but the 7.8 update that brought some features of the new OS to the existing devices.

We have seen some really good Windows Phone 8-based devices launch in the recent past, and we recently reviewed the HTC Windows Phone 8X (read our review here). We can’t wait to see the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Samsung Ativ S in action as well. We have also compared the top Windows Phone 8 devices available in the market. You can read about the devices here.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Microsoft-certifies-more-than-75000-apps-for_12850.html

Microsoft to replace Metro UI codename with Modern UI

Microsoft was recently in trouble for using “Metro UI” for its tablet and smartphone interface. The Metro UI name, that originally began as a codename, stuck on in the final version of Microsoft’s mobile OS, Windows Phone 7 and translated to their new desktop OS, Windows 8.

Recently, we reported that Microsoft would be changing the “Metro UI” name but the new and final name wasn't clear. For some time we thought it would be replaced with Windows 8, leading to Windows 8 UI, or Windows 8 apps, etc.

Lately, however, Microsoft representatives have started calling the new OS UI as the “Modern UI Style”.  As reported by The Verge, employees are calling referencing the new name in blog posts and training courses, with examples like - Modern UI design language and principles, Modern UI Style apps, and Modern UI Style UI (this last indicates it might be a rushed copy-paste job). Check out one blog post example, here.

It is still unclear whether this will be the final name, or if Modern UI is another placeholder till Microsoft decides on another one. The change in name from Metro UI started when Microsoft started facing copyright infringement issues.

During the development of the Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft used a variety of names like immersive, modern, fast, and fluid to describe its new desktop operating system. But the most common name that the company used and the one which stuck was the “Metro-style”.

The launch of the new OS is just around the corner and we are wondering whether this is the final name of the OS or will we see some more tweaks and changes as far as the naming game is concerned.

Windows 8 is expected to launch on October 26. You can read everything about Windows 8 here.

What do you think? Is the change in the name of the UI, apps and interface really that big a deal? Let us know in the comment section below.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Software/Microsoft-to-replace-Metro-UI-codename-with_10458.html

Download: Flickr Browser (Windows Phone)

Photography lovers who own a Windows Phone can now access their Flickr accounts from their smartphones using the Flickr Browser. The app is already available on the iOS and Android platforms. Once installed, you can browse high resolution pictures through the app's touch-optimised navigation and upload images to your Flickr account with the in-app uploader. You can also share photos with through email, Twitter, and Facebook among other platforms. The app also lets you add titles, descriptions, comments, and tags, along with changing privacy settings with ease.


You can check out pictures from other users' Flickr stream via the Explore module. The app enables you to take high-quality photos from the in-app camera as well. It offers the ability to pin Live Tiles to your Home Screen for direct access to the in-app camera.

Developer: Yahoo!
Version: 0.9.0.0
Size: <1 MB
Price: Rs 70
Platform: Windows Phone
Download link: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-IN/apps/0582119b-55f0-4cf2-b6e5-73ca75494d7b

Source: http://www.techtree.com/content/news/1406/download-flickr-browser-windows-phone.html