Good Luck Microsoft, Long Live Nokia!

And the time had finally come, the complete turn-over of the substantial part Nokia Devices and Services division to the biggest technology company in the world, Microsoft, capping the 8 months hiatus from its initial announcement. This historic event culminated after passing all the obstacles that came along the way and getting the approval by Nokia shareholders and government regulators.

But not everyone was happy about it. I for one had a mixed reactions over the buyout, sadness in one part because I cannot anymore see my most trusted brand name in any of my future devices, on the other hand, excitement because of what’s up ahead with the fusion of brilliant minds from two powerful and innovative tech companies. Annoyed as well, with how the company was mishandled, and terrified most specially, with accusations of Trojan power plays that occurred along the way. But anyhow, past is past and it’s time to move forward, Microsoft has still a lot of things to prove and they need to gear up for the battle that is upfront. As for Nokia, well, no matter how other people would want to portray it, they will still be a vital part of the smartphone universe with their long list of patents and services. Every smartphone company pays to Nokia for the use of its patents and they will definitely here to stay.

For everyone who have been following my blog, your biggest question would probably be, if I will now sway my love and support to Microsoft who now owns Nokia’s devices department, well, it’s not just about the notion that everything remains the same being that nothing had really change other than the brand logo and name, but the head management is different now comprising different sets of people with distinct visions, I’m still not sure what their plans are or which business model will they follow in approaching the mobilephone hardware and software market.

It’s also about character; Nokia is a brand name that is analogous to quality and value conscious products, almost indestructible design and construction, excellent services, unwavering after sales support, among others, while Microsoft is only known as a successful software company. Will Microsoft adopt Nokia's built and service orientated character, enhance it perhaps, or will they create another system? If proven enough by Microsoft, then why not!

It’s definitely not a smooth sail ahead for Microsoft being an infant in the hardware business and surrounded by fierce competitors. They still need to prove a lot of things most especially to Nokia’s legions of enthusiasts. They will surely prevail, I believe, because they have the right tools and talents (Nokia’s world class hardware designers and workers), all they need to do now is to introduce more cutting edge software innovations with distinguishable features and brilliant marketing strategy.

Good luck then to Microsoft and long live Nokia!

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Nokia Launch 3 Android Devices Amidst Microsoft Buy Out

Its finally official, the year round rumor was finally announce today at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. But its not just one device, Nokia surprises the mobilephone world with three, the Nokia X, Nokia X+ and the Nokia XL, creating the loudest salvo yet in worlds biggest technology fair.

Most probably, the people who were the most excited with this announcements are Android developers because it would allow them to tap into the millions of Nokia supporters and enthusiasts; Android converts who were previously Symbian supporters wanting an Android running Nokia hardware; and the mass market as whole giving them more options to buy quality products at an affordable prize. The least happy, Google most definitely because they cant earn anything from it being forked without their income generating apps and services and Microsoft since it will be a direct competitor to their affordable Lumia devices like the Nokia Lumia 520.

The Nokia trio runs an Android 4.4 Kitkat beneath, had Nokia's world renowned attractive design and quality construction, a tile based user interface like that of Windows Phone, the infamous Fastlane of the Asha's, offline HERE maps and navigation suite, Nokia Mix Radio offering free online music streaming and offline playlist download, One Drive cloud storage, one month Skype Unlimited World Subscription among other Nokia and Microsoft's exclusive apps and services.

Nokia X

The phones hardware specs includes a 4" IPS WVGA (800 x480) (233ppi) capacitive touch, 3MP camera fixed focus, 520MB RAM and 4GB eMMC, 1GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon dual core processor, 1500mAh Battery, Dual SIM and Dual Standby, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0+ HS and more.

Color variants: Bright green, Bright red, Cyan, Yellow, Black and White

Price: 89 Euro or PhP5,450.00 more or less, rolling-out in Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa immediately.

Nokia X+

The phone had identical hardware specs to that of Nokia X except that it has a bigger RAM of 768MB.

Color variants: Bright green, Bright red, Cyan, Yellow, Black and White

Price: 99 Euro or PhP6,060.00 more or less, rolling out in Q2 2014

Nokia XL

Phone hardware specs includes 5" IPS WVGA (800 x480) (187ppi) capacitive touch, 5MP camera auto focus, 2MP front facing camera, 768MB RAM,vand 4GB eMMC, 1GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon dual core processor, 2000mAh Battery, Dual SIM and Dual Standby, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0+ HS and more.

Color variants: Bright green, Orange, Cyan, Yellow, Black and White

Price: 109 Euro or PhP6,680.00 more or less, rolling out in Q2

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The Nokia Lumia 1020 Chronicle: Cameraphone Royalty Part 1 - First Impression

In my prelude article, I wrote about the accounts of my historic Nokia Lumia 1020 purchase. It was unexpected but cannot be turn aside due to circumstances that were nevertheless euphoric and overwhelming. Read the full prelude article here.

07:25 +8GMT, February 9, 2014

I meet with Sir Dan at the Davao Ecoland Bus Terminal, the very person that I was referring to in my Prelude article who sold his Nokia Lumia 1020 for almost half the price.

Very anxious, yes, I was that time because it might be that everything was just a set up and that he was only making fun of me being dead desperate, but Sir Dan came with his wife and 2 kids. They were a decent family actually, kinda well-off financially and obviously techy in some ways. But of course, I was more interested on "the phone" which he freely showed to me for checking.

My first impression, typical Lumia, attractive, bold, compact, well built, but compared to Nokia Lumia 925, its a bit bulky and heavy to my liking and less the premium metal feel. I think Nokia had overplayed with the uni-body polycarbonate design already that their is less of the "wow factor" anymore unlike when they introduced it with the Nokia N9 back in 2011. To be honest, I like the Nokia Lumia 925 more design-wise being refreshing and unique in metal than the Lumia 1020. 

I then played with the phone for awhile to ascertain its genuineness and if everything was working. I also looked into the unused accessories and tried them to examine any defects. After the thorough run-through with the phone, I then chat with the family to know them better. Interestingly, I found out that they were really a Lumia enthusiasts. The wife was using a Nokia Lumia 625, the son, a Lumia 720, and the daughter who was about 10 years old, had a yellow Lumia 520. I told them that its a wise choice having Lumia devices for unique differentiation from bunch of Androids, at the same time beneficial since Windows Phone as a system focused on family and people that matters. With it they can easily maintain a strong bond among themselves personally and socially.

And speaking about Windows Phone, the phone interface-wise, as I expected it to be, was buttery smooth beaming beneath the lively and vibrant screen display. The ClearBlack display and the PureMotion HD+ technology of Nokia worked their way best on the phone making it very pleasurable to gaze. The phone was already running the Windows Phone Black update but I have not notice any remarkable changes that comes with it just yet since I did not snoop further on the phones settings being very tired from a grueling 13 hours of sleepless overnight trip and that the seller still had files and information's on the phone being not resetted.

I then handed the money to Sir Dan and close the deal outright. They were even gracious enough to offer me a tour around the city but I modestly refuse since I need to travel back home for another 13 nonstop hours.

I then tact the phone back to its box and planned to reset it only when I get back home. It would be safer and wise to have a full WiFi access in doing so to prevent huge data upload in accessing and activating existing Microsoft accounts.

08:00 +8GMT, February 9, 2014

I was already in the bus on my way home, very excited and fulfilled. It felt like I just did one of the most important decision in my life. Happiness and contentment lingered in my thoughts for the rest of that day. Never in my wildest dream, did I expect to own a Nokia Lumia 1020 being far beyond my financial reached. Somehow destiny had works it way in my favor.  

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Wandering With The Nokia Lumia 925, Part 7 - The Last Stand

Well, kinda like X-Men - The Last Stand, since its a day that I need to lived against all odds. My body aches is getting worse and I felt like I still need to cover a lot of things and visit few more places. I'm also running out of funds so I need to take drastic moves.

07:30 +8GMT, November 10, 2013

Arrived at the pension house from my relatives bonding stints in Bacoor, Cavite. I need to start my day early because I have to packed my things up. My return flight was 5AM the next day and I was planning to spend my last night at the airport so I could save an overnight rent (the drastic move I'm referring to), wont missed my early flight (lame excuse) and that its a safety precaution as well since I might get robbed whanging around the Metro at 3AM (another lame excuse). Its better to be safe than sorry. ;)

It was an exhausting morning, I felt like I already spend all my energy that I just want to stay static for the rest of the day but I have no choice but to push myself to the limits, my check-out by 12 noon. I also need to juice up my Nokia Lumia 925 and power bank because its going to be a long day and night for the phone. I might not be able to charged it again until I arrived home the next day.

Though the phone had a Battery Saver app that would help conserved battery life by turning off running background apps when the battery reached a certain level but I doubt if it will help with my techy and socially connected lifestyle. Automatic brightness setting of the phone screen could also help but it will make the phone display dull. Anyhow, I have no choice but to do both so the phone could last overnight.

12:30 +8GMT, November 10, 2013

Left the pension house and went to SM Mall of Asia. They have this baggage counter for travelers where you can leave all your backpacks and trolleys safely for free and it closed at around 12 midnight so its very convenient. I then went to another favorite place of mine to visit when I'm in the Metro, Divisoria, another shopping hub. I haven't find a Nokia Asha 501 yet so I tried my luck.

14:00 +8GMT, November 10, 2013

Arrived in Divisoria in a demure pace with the body ache thing going on. The place was ideal for shopping but the traffic going their is terrible. How I wish the City government could find a solution for this long due problem, its not fun to be stuck in an hour of noontime traffic inside a jeepney with all those fumes and foul smell around.

I then went directly to Tutuban Town Center, one of the most prominent malls in the area to find mobilephone stalls selling second hand phones. It was again a spin-off, it took me several turns around confusing hallway blocks to find the only shop selling a Nokia Asha 501. All my efforts finding the phone for the past 2 days though was rewarded because it only cost me PhP2,800 for a unit with charger. Definitely a huge steal since the brand new price of the phone is PhP4,500 saving me PhP1,700!

I also was able to find my dream phone, the Nokia 808 PureView, on display sold for PhP10,000 only but I don't have enough money to buy it. The phone would probably remain in my dreams forever since only God knows when will I be back and it would probably be sold already when that time comes.

I also find several Lumia phones on display, even the Lumia 925 being sold only for PhP13,000 unit alone and PhP14,000 with complete set. The brand new price of the phone is still somewhere around PhP21,000, I would have save a huge PhP7,000 for it. Anyhow, if only I have enough cash, I would have bought them all!

17:00 +8GMT, November 10, 2013

Drop by Recto avenue to look for 2nd hand Law books. Yes, second hand again, no frills! But really, when your studying law, 2nd hand or brand new won't matter since laws doesn't changed much and new books only offer new case annotations. Believe it or not, I found four books that save me PhP8,000 compared to buying new ones.

FYI: Did you know that this place is well known for replicating just about anything? You can buy an almost genuine copies of school Diploma's with all the stamps and seals; Transcript of Records where you get to decide the grades; ID's of all schools, institutions and government agencies, etc., at the right price! Just name it, they have it!

Meanwhile, one thing I've notice about the phone being subjected to a ruckus environment was that I usually missed several text messages. I don't know if it was just me, but really, I find the message alert system of the phone too quite. This is also a problem with the Windows Phones that I've trialed so far, I find the notification system silent to my liking. Maybe its because of the message alert tones, that most of the built-in tones were too soft to bare and that users cannot add tones in the existing lists; or perhaps due to the phone's speaker, but in either way, I hate it, text messaging is still one of my main toll in communication, I cannot afford to compromised it. Microsoft needs to fixed this problem fast before I get tempted to buy an iPhone or any of the Androids!

18:30 +8GMT, November 10, 2013

My last pit stop for the rest of my wandering before hitting my last stand, Rizal Park, Manila. They have a new attraction that is always featured on television, the dancing fountain. I thought it could be a perfect opportunity to test the video capability of the Nokia Lumia 925 that's why I included it in my itinerary.

Well, to my surprised, there were lots of people watching the light show. What's even more interesting was that I was liking it, I thought it was only a kids show but I was wrong, adults will also find it entertaining. Got a few snap shots of the fountain using the phone, video sample will be featured in a separate article, watch out for it.

Battery checked after all the picture and image ordeal, 40%. Well, I haven't really used much of the phone early on that's why it lasts me that long. Usually, in this time of the day, I'm already almost drained. 

22:00 +8GMT, November 10, 2013

Arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 safe and sound. It wasn't the first time that I slept overnight in this airport, I always do this every time I have early flights the next day. It even had a memorable experience the last time because I got struck by an Amoebiasis early morning from the Siomai that I brought the day before from a street vendor outside the Department of Health Manila, ironic. It was my worsts experience ever, I got a throbbing stomach ache every 30 seconds and I have to defecate every 20 minutes. I was dehydrated like hell! Well, those were the days!

Anyways, after arriving at the airport, I went directly to my favorite area to spend the rest of the night, a corner in the second floor near the food court, just lying on the floor pavement. I was actually able to use my Nokia Lumia 925 for an hour of surfing via a free public WiFi before it drained. I then call over for the day and took a nap amidst fellow traveling bystanders eating and chatting.

2:30 +8GMT, November 12, 2013

Woke up to checked-in. Luckily, their was an available wall socket at the boarding area that's why I was able to charged the phone for awhile. Hopefully, their will come a day when people don't have to worry about battery life or care about charging phones manually via a wall socket, and that phones will just recharged on their own harnessing available natural energy around.

05:00 +8GMT, November 12, 2013

Boarded the plane and slept my way through the whole ordeal. Two hours after I was already back home and yes, you guess it right, slept the rest of the day to regain my senses.

...And their goes my Nokia Lumia 925 wandering and adventures ladies and gents. It was quite a brawl in a fun and techy way. 6 days was surely not enough, hopefully I could stay longer the next time around, or travel somewhere else, with lots of cash on hand and using a Nokia 808 Pureview, Nokia Lumia 925 or Nokia Lumia 1020 of my own. :D Quite impossible but who knows?

Wandering With The Nokia Lumia 925, Part 1
Wandering With The Nokia Lumia 925, Part 2
Wandering With The Nokia Lumia 925, Part 3
Wandering With The Nokia Lumia 925, Part 4 - Camera and Sunset
Wandering With The Nokia Lumia 925, Part 5 - Two Days More And Counting!
Wandering With The Nokia Lumia 925, Part 6 - Camera And Night Shots

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Nokia Lumia 1320 Full Specs and Price

If there is one device that caught my attention during the Nokia World Event in Abu Dhabi, it would be this the Nokia Lumia 1320, a mass market friendly phablet sporting a huge 6 inch display and several latest innovations found among Nokia Lumia high-end range.

It has been a trademark for Nokia to introduce mid-range counterparts to their newly announce high end devices, but this time around, they tried to minimize the difference between both by offering a well designed and feature-rich one. In fact,, I even found this more attractive design-wise than the rectangular shape Lumia 1520.

KEY FEATURES

- Latest imaging innovations like the Nokia Camera that integrates the most popular imaging modes, Pro, Smart, and video into one seamless and fast picture taking experience
- Nokia Storyteller automatically integrates images with HERE location information into a new way to relive your images on a map
- The latest apps and Xbox games from Microsoft supported by 4G LTE connection
- Nokia Music that allows unlimited music streaming for free without ads or sign on
- Free global HERE Maps with LiveSight augmented reality view
- Supersensitive display allows you to do even more and faster even with gloves on
- 8GB internal memory and expandable 64GB memory card slot you can store a wealth of content both created and collected.
- Take handwritten notes with the Papyrus app in a natural and easy way.
- Share your ideas easily and instantly with friends by projecting your phone screen to any HTML5 enabled screen with Nokia Beamer available in the Store

FULL SPECIFICATIONS

NETWORKS	GSM: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, WCDMA: 2100 MHz, 1900MHz, 1700MHz, 900MHz, 850 MHz ROW LTE network bands: 3, 7, 20 Speed LTE: 100 Mbps  DL/50 Mbps UL DC-HSPA ROW: 42/5.76Mbps (cat 24 DL/ Cat6 UL) HSPA+ CHINA: 21/5.76Mbps (Cat 14DL/Cat6 UL) GSM: EGPRS 236.8Kps
OS	Windows Phone 8 Amber
PROCESSOR	1.7GHz Dual Core Snapdragon 400 by Qualcomm
DISPLAY	6’’ HD IPS LCD  (1280x720) Corning Gorilla 3 Glass Super Sensitive Multi-touch for nail and glove usage
MEMORY	1GB RAM 8GB Internal User Memory MicroSD card support of up to 64GB 7GB SkyDrive Cloud Storage
CONNECTIVITY	WLAN 802.11 (2.4GHz) b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0+ LE MicroUSB 2.0 Accelerometer
CAMERA AND VIDEO	5MP Autofocus LED flash 1080p @ 30 fps full HD video with optical image stabilization Secondary camera: .3MP VGA
AUDIO	1 HAAC microphones HD Voice Dolby(R) Headphone FM radio 3.5mm audio connector
SIZE AND DIMENSION	Height: 164.25 x 85.9 x 9.79 mm (H x W x T) Weight: 220 grams Colors: Yellow, White, Black, Orange
SERVICES	Global HERE Maps with LiveSight augmented reality view HERE Drive+ Beta HERE Transit Nokia Music with Free Mix Streaming
BATTERY	3400 mAh Li-Ion Talk time: up to 21 hours (on 3G) Standby time: up to 675 hours Video Playback time: up to 9 hours Music Playback time: up to 98 hours
STANDARD SALES PACKAGE	Nokia Lumia 1320 Nokia Compact Charger AC-60 Nokia Headset: WH-108 Data Cable CA-190CD Foldout Quick Guide SIM door opening key

The Nokia Lumia 1320 is expected to start shipping in Q1 2014 with an estimated price of USD339 (PHP14,700) before taxes and subsidies in China and Vietnam, followed by other Asian markets, India and Europe.

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Nokia Joins The Tablet Game With The Lumia 2520

At last, 3 years after the iPad was launch, Nokia finally release its counterpart, its very first ever Windows tablet, the Lumia 2520. Though I was not been a huge tablet PC enthusiast back then but my notion had change when I studied Law, I've realize how important its portability is and how helpful it could be in my studies given its limitless access to information's online anytime, anywhere.

 Software Prowess

The Lumia 2520 runs the critically acclaimed Windows RT 8.1, Microsoft's full based touch operating system designed to be a highly personal and easy to navigate. It also had the smoothest and the most unique user interface in the market offering the best tablet experience to users.

The Lumia 2520 also comes with a number of unique software experiences that are exclusive to the Lumia family, including the exclusive "Dragons Adventure" interactive game developed in partnership with DreamWorks Animation; the Nokia Storyteller, a company developed application that introduces a new way to curate and relive images and videos as a story on a map; the Nokia Video Director which offers the ability to edit and get even more creative with videos shot on the Lumia 2520; an integrated HERE Maps offering a true offline maps for a fast and reliable maps experience; Nokia Music with Mix Radio preinstalled; the full version of Microsoft Office and Outlook preinstalled; and so much more.

Hardware Expertise

Nokia brought its top notch mastery in design and construction on the Lumia 2520. It has the unique and stylish design like its smartphone counterparts and the solid unibody construction like no other.  It helms a vivid 10.1-inch HD display that is designed to provide the best outdoor and indoor readability of any tablet; a 6.7MP Carl Zeiss camera optics, the first time ever on a tablet promising outstanding beautiful images both in day and low light scenarios; 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity; among others.

The Lumia 2520 is paired with a unique and stylish accessories to enhance user experience; the Nokia Power Keyboard that serves as a protective and wraparound cover and a back up battery of up to five extra hours. It also have two built-in USB ports for connectivity and a fully functional keypad with gesture trackpad.

Best of all an 8000 mAh battery promising 10 hours of battery life with a fast-charging capability, providing up to an 80% charge in one hour.
 
The Nokia Lumia 2520 will be available in red and white in a glossy finish as well as cyan and black in a matte finish, and is expected to start shipping in Q4 2013 with an estimated price of USD499 (PHP21,600) before taxes or subsidies. The Nokia Power Keyboard will be available alongside the Lumia 2520 at the recommended price of USD149 (PHP6,500).

Initial roll out is to begin broadly in the U.S. as well as the U.K and Finland, with additional countries to follow shortly after.

For the Nokia Lumia 2520 Full Specs, CLICK HERE.

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Microsoft Buys Nokia's Devices and Services Business, My Thoughts

Today marks a very significant disruption in the mobilephone industry, the biggest brand in technology industry, Microsoft Corporation, acquiring the devices and services business of the biggest brand in mobilephone industry, Nokia Corporation, in a deal that will go down as one of the largest buy-out in history.

A whopping 3.79 billion Euro pay off and a billion Euro more for Nokia's licenses and patents and the use of Nokia's mapping service were at stake. To include as well in the agreement is the licensing of Nokia as a brand for 10 years, the transfer of 32,000 people and the making of Finland as a home for a new data center that will serve Microsoft consumers in Europe. The company said it would invest more than a quarter-billion dollars in capital and operation of the new data center over the next few years, with the potential for further expansion over time.

So basically, Nokia as a brand will subsists because Microsoft will still carry it in their future devices, and Nokia as a company as well because they still have NSN, HERE and most importantly Advanced Technologies that handles its patents and other portfolios, though, more than 90% of its current business will be streamlined. Nokia will stay as a significant player in the industry handling more on this patents and licenses in the coming years.

Thoughts, I'm not really shocked with the merger because rumors had been circulating in the lurk for quite sometime. I already expected it to happen anytime soon. I also had no qualms with Microsoft because they are no less, the biggest company in the tech industry so I'm pretty confident that Nokia's Devices and Services Business is in good hands.

Microsoft being the biggest would means that Nokia as a brand will have all the resources needed to further improved the products and they will be backed-up by Microsoft's leading engineers and designers, so its a win-win situation for the brand and for consumers. I believed that they could come up with more better and high quality products with Windows Phone as a platform, being executed more efficiently than ever.

I do hope though that Microsoft will carry on with Nokia's legacy of offering unparalleled after sales services and high quality products at a reasonable price. Its among the many reasons why I'm supporting the company up to now. Anyways, to all my friends in Nokia, Good Luck and God Speed!

Indeed, the next chapter of the battle to mobilephone supremacy had just begun!

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Nokia sponsors DLSU HackerCup: WP8

Young minds of De La Salle University are set to create the most innovative apps for the Windows Phone 8 OS in the DLSU HackerCup: WP8.

Happening on March 15-16, 2013 at the Microsoft Philippines office, the competition aims to promote the capabilities of Windows Phone 8 OS by encouraging the brightest among DLSU Science & Technology students to come up with the best tools and brightest ideas to fully utilize the latest in Microsoft’s mobile OS.

Registration is open to currently enrolled undergraduate students of DLSU (Manila and S&T Complex). Only registered and validated participants will be allowed to participate in the contest. Walk-ins will not be permitted to join. Registration ends on March 6, 2013. Validation will be sent through email.

Each team must consist of at least one member up to a maximum of four (4) team members. Teams will develop a Windows Phone 8 application based on a theme that will be announced on March 14, 2013, a day before the event. Participants may use any development tools and application frameworks to build their apps. They are expected to bring the necessary equipment and software to build their competition entry.

Each team will be given 24hours for actual building of the app which will commence at 3PM on March 15, 2013 and end at 3PM on March 16, 2013. They will then be given 3 minutes each to present their finished app in front of a panel of judges. Judging criteria will consist of 50% technical quality, 25% originality of idea/relation to theme and 25% design quality.

Winners will be announced after the pitching sessions. First place winners will win a HackerCup trophy plus 4 Nokia Lumia 920 Smartphones and 4 Globe Tattoo sticks. Second prize winners will receive a HackerCup trophy, 2 Nokia Lumia 820 Smartphones and 4 Globe Tattoo sticks; and third place winners will get 1 Nokia 820Smartphone and 4 Globe Tatoo sticks. Additionally, a Nokia Lumia 820 will also be given as a special prize in a category to be announced the day before the start of the competition.

The DLSU HackerCup: WP8 is sponsored by Nokia, Globe Labs and Microsoft Philippines. Wait, Globe Labs.. will their participation confirm the availability of Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 on Globe's turf soon? Hhhmm?

Visit http://www.dlsuhackercup.tk/ to register and get more information.

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Meet Windows Phone 8 By Joe Belfiore

Got an interesting find here from YouTube about Windows Phone 8, the mobile operating system of my future smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 920 (cough!), as if I can afford (cough!), well... who knows I might find a treasure chest somewhere, but anyways, the video earnestly run through all the latest and greatest features of the critically acclaimed operating system from the Windows Phone guru himself, Joe Belfiore.

The video shows several innovative features but what struck me most is the sync and integration features of the mobile operating system to Windows 8. It was super cool seeing those images, documents, music, etc., being sync and fitted to the phone from PC and vice versa without a sweat. Deep social integration was also outstanding on the phone as well as the Kid's Corner, App Lock Screen and Data Sense with the ability to find WIFI sites and display it on a Nokia powered map.

Favorite line in the video.. "We check our apps for viruses and malware unlike Google Play".

Favorite moment, end of the video when he wanted to get the phone from his daughter and uttered "give me that fuc... give me that phone", then he giggles... what?

Watch the full video below to find out more.

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Windows Phone 8's Hype, Starts

A few days ago, leakers gave a few exciting tidbits on the upcoming Windows Phone 8, today at Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco, Microsoft and Nokia unveiled a few more marking the beginning of a long period ballyhoo of today's most electrifying Operating System in the mobilephone space.

It cannot be denied that of all the Operating System at the moment, iOS and Android have not move significantly forward, Symbian and Blackberry had substantial improvements but not enough to cause a stir, while the rest went stealth, Windows Phone on the other hand grew thrillingly giving the coolest and the most futuristic user experience of all. Hands down to the people behind the OS, a huge shift in momentum continues, all due to the unwavering hard work of people in Redmond.

Anyways, I love the new start screen among the rest of the new applications and services that Microsoft brought to the table. Nokia's new Marketplace apps on the other hand were promising like the digital Camera Extras that brings new possibilities to existing Lumia devices including panorama shots, a self-timer, Action Shot for capturing movement and Smart Group Shot for creating the perfect group shot from several different images; new features for Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport; and also pattern of updates like WiFi tethering and flip-to-silence, among the rest.

I just hope they were able to fixed few basic things as mentioned in my past articles. For instance, more customization like background image integration on the live tiles, theme system, integration of personal message alert tone, etc. I was looking also for DiVX support; elimination of Zune system's video conversion to WMV before it can be transferred to the phone; improvement of its less adjustable Music player with no option to create playlist directly to the phone; among others.

Anyways, looking forward to know more about Windows Phone 8, its shaping up to be the Operating to beat!

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Windows Phone 7 Mango, The Introduction

This is the very first article on the blog that features Windows Phone 7 Operating System. I have quite a history with the system when I owned an HTC Tanager 10 years ago but Symbian captured my fancy when I bought the Nokia 6233 as a replacement, an unplanned uncovering since I was about to buy another Windows Phone under Smart Telecom's offered postpaid plan that time but it was not available.

Ever since then, I became a huge Nokia Symbian fan owning quite a few from Nokia N82, Nokia 5230 and now Nokia N8 but the inevitable had happened with its development and upgrade that force Nokia to dumped the system for the latter. Now I'm still weighing things out if I will support Windows Phone or not for Nokia. It has to proved its worth first as a successor to the Legendary Symbian before I would jump in to the wagon.

So what did I miss in the Windows Phone operating system for the past 10 years? Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President, Windows Phone Program Management, explains in this 10 minute introductory video.



Lets see how things turns out with the Nokia Sea Ray.

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Nokia and Microsoft Partnership Finalized!

Nokia and Microsoft finally sealed today the biggest operating system shift in the history of mobilephones creating a new global mobile ecosystem.

Highlights of the relationship includes combination of complementary assets making the partnership truly unique:

a. Nokia to deliver mapping, navigation, and certain location-based services to the Windows Phone ecosystem. Nokia will build innovation on top of the Windows Phone platform in areas such as imaging, while contributing expertise on hardware design and language support, and helping to drive the development of the Windows Phone platform. Microsoft will provide Bing search services across the Nokia device portfolio as well as contributing strength in productivity, advertising, gaming, social media and a variety of other services. The combination of navigation with advertising and search will enable better monetization of Nokia's navigation assets and completely new forms of advertising revenue.

b. Joint developer outreach and application sourcing, to support the creation of new local and global applications, including making Windows Phone developer registration free for all Nokia developers.

c. Opening a new Nokia-branded global application store that leverages the Windows Marketplace infrastructure. Developers will be able to publish and distribute applications through a single developer portal to hundreds of millions of consumers that use Windows Phone, Symbian and Series 40 devices.

d. Contribution of Nokia's expertise in operator billing to ensure participants in the Windows Phone ecosystem can take advantage of Nokia's billing agreements with 112 operators in 36 markets.

Also announced significant progress on the development of the first Nokia products incorporating Windows Phone. With hundreds of already engaged on joint engineering efforts, the companies are collaborating on a portfolio of new Nokia devices. Nokia has also started porting key applications and services to operate on Windows Phone and joint outreach has begun to third party application developers.

Like it or not, Nokia is going full swing with Windows Mobile and like the rest of the competitors using the operating system, it will just become one of the crowd. As mentioned earlier, Nokia will be banking on the its hardware prowess and camera expertise but will it be enough for to set them apart?

I hope the next "disruption" occurs as soon as possible.

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Movie Scene That Might Have Inspired The Nokia and Microsoft Alliance

Character 1: The old was palpable

Character 2: Was it?

Character 1: I presume our understanding is still valid? Control of the city? A sizable request I know but a seemingly fitting compensation, don’t you think?

Character 2: How long have you been searching for this? A thousand cycles? Just imagine the secret it holds. The master key to any and old, the riddles of the grid, but there something else to, wasn’t that? I’ve heard a chatter about this private initiative

Character 1: I realized that alliance is at times uneasy but always necessary, you know you need me right, where I am

Character 2: Of course your right

Character 1: Enjoy the drink

So which movie was the scene or conversation taken? Clue... It’s a recent movie shown not more than 6 months ago and it’s a very important movie of one of the two companies.

And which character is Nokia or Microsoft? You’ll be the judge. Happy guessing! c”,

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Thoughts on the Nokia and Microsoft Merger

The Nokia and Microsoft merger comes with no surprise to me, before the big announcement yesterday, buzz have been flying around stating the inevitable. Well it all comes to fruition and there is no turning back for the ones mighty Nokia.

Thoughts on the current merger, this only proves how the company became so incapable from once upon a time, the leading company who drives innovation to presently a lame follower who cannot exist without the help of others.

Gone were the biggest research and development team in the industry harboring the biggest support fund, they have not delivered the best results and outcomes, they should be fired and burned with the rest of the top managers.

At the moment, Nokia had become just one of manufacturers in the industry, they have lost there individuality, they have lost there core and its all because of circumstances that would have been prevented. There is no distinction anymore, there is no difference and I hate it.

For the question as to if I would continue to support Windows Mobile 7 Powered Nokia device, its a big NO, I don't like the Operating System the moment it came out and I still don't like it now no matter how I would wanted to by watching tons of video samples.

What should Nokia do if I am on there toe, be aggressive, snatch all the best engineers and OS developers from other manufactures, offer them unparalleled salary and make them create the future Operating System of the industry. It's all about the money, nothing more, nothing less.

Nokia should aggressively develop Symbian to unimaginable scale, tons of supporters all over the world still believes in the operating system and adores it, Nokia must not let this people feel abandoned. Make it an elite OS, that if people hears about it in the future, they will think of Nokia and Nokia alone.

Well, enough of the rant, life goes on!

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