How to easily update to Windows Phone 8 GDR Update 3

As you might have known by now, Microsoft have just announced the arrival of the Windows Phone GDR Update 3 for all WP8 devices. While the roll out has started, it might take a while to get through to the users after carrier checks, tests and more. But for the first time ever, after actually announcing it in June 2012, the “Enthusiast” program is now live for Windows Phone 8. It basically means that, if you are interested in previewing the latest version of the operating system, with a few constraints, you can get it on any of your Windows Phone 8 devices right away, that too for free! But how? That’s exactly what we are going to see right now. I am going to try and make it as simple and quick as possible for you to get this update.

Check out our visual walkthrough of the GDR3 update

So, the basic requirements of this Developer Preview of Windows Phone Update 3 are -

• Your phone is ‘developer-unlocked,’
• You are a registered Windows Phone Store developer, OR
• You are a registered Windows Phone App Studio developer.

The first and second options require you to pay $19 and get a dev account or register your device there, after you are in, but the third option is the most easiest and affordable way to get the update. Remember the time Microsoft announced a platform for any one to make apps for Windows Phone? One could make a feed-like app using the Windows Phone UI and it was quite easy to do so. One surprise was that, you could even side load your creation on ANY phone. Previously you could do it only on an unlocked device. So, the exact same App Studio is now going to help you install the Windows Phone 8 GDR Update 3.

Step 1 – Create an app in Windows Phone App Studio

Simply signing up for the App Studio and creating a random app lets you download a Microsoft certificate on your phone. This certificate is the key to installing your own app and of course, the Developer Preview. All you have to do is go here – Apps.WindowsStore.com and create an app. You can create a random app for testing or even play around and create a fully functional app for anything you are interested in. To help you guide through this process, here is a screenshot gallery you can use for reference.

Make sure you sign in to your Microsoft account that you use on the phone

Create and customize your app -

Generate your app

Install the certificate on your phone

You can also directly download from the link present on the last page of your app creation.

Once you are done installing the certificate. It is now time for more pre-requisites before the update -

- The update only includes the Microsoft portion of the update. We’re not providing the firmware and drivers that are specific to your device; the rest of the update will flow down to your phone when you receive the official update. And to help ensure the best experience on the update, we require you to have at least build 8.0.10322.71 with the corresponding device drivers to install this update.

- When you opt in and apply a prerelease update, you can only move forward with updates. When the update is publicly released for your device, you will once again be in a ‘released state.’ There is no path back to a prior release/update.

- After you install a preview update, you may void any warranty from your MO and OEM. In the unlikely event you run into an issue after you apply the prerelease update, you can visit the preview program’s support forum.

It is very clear that the update is pre-release. We have it installed on our Lumia 820 and it works well so far, but if you have any second thoughts, it is wise to opt out, as there is no path back, only forward. It also only updates the OS and not the device specific fimrware but whatever firmware you have on your device right now should work as before. We still have Amber installed on our 820 and all the enhancements work as is.

So, are you ready to proceed further?

Step 2 – Install Preview for Developers app

If you meet all the pre-requisites, you should be able to download and install this app – “Preview for Developers” from the Windows Phone Store. The app makes you login to your Microsoft account and now that you have an active App Studio account associated with it, it will let you enable the Preview feature on your device. here’s a screenshot gallery for easier understanding of the process -

Step 3 – Install the Update

Once you enable the Preview, all you have to do is the check the “Phone Update” from settings and install the Windows Phone 8 GDR Update 3! It’s really simple. Hats off to Microsoft for finally letting enthusiasts bypass the carriers and try out the latest version of the OS. This is much like how Windows Updates happen too, including the closed beta for Xbox360.

Windows Phone GDR3 update is official, brings 1080p display and Snapdragon 800 chipset support

The long awaited Windows Phone GDR3 update has now been officially unveiled and confirms most of the rumors around the update. The biggest and most promising feature is that  Windows Phone now supports 1080p displays and the Snapdragon 800 SoC. This means that Windows Phone flagships will no longer be crippled by hardware limits when compared to Android phones. It can be said that WP phones are usually fast enough to not require top of the line hardware but chipsets like the Snapdragon 800 also bring a lot more to the table. Support for 1080p displays means that you can now have up to 6 small tiles or an additional medium sized tile. Alongside 1080p screens, Windows Phone can now also be used on 5-6 inch display devices allowing Windows Phone phablets, something we’ll be seeing very soon in the form of the Lumia 1520.

There are lot of tweaks done to the OS to improve usability. There’s a brand new driving mode that limits notifications on the lock screen when connected to a Bluetooth device. Driving mode can be configured to send automated replies on receiving calls or text messages while driving. Mobility access has also been improved to allow for screen readers as well as tools for the hearing impaired. The much awaited screen rotation lock is also present on the phone and so is the ability to close apps from the multitasking menu. It is now possible to use custom ringtones for text messages. There’s a lot more under the hood including better other storage management and the ability to finally enable WiFi while setting up your phone instead of having to rely solely on cellular data. All in all, it looks like a fairly solid update though the missing notification center gives us cause for concern.

So, summarizing on all the features, Windows Phone GDR3 brings you -

• Support for 1080p screened devices, like the Lumia 1520, with default apps scaled to take advantage of potentially huge screen real estates.
• Support for Snapdragon 800 Chipset
• Driving mode – Managed notifications and automatic replies for a safer travel
• New accessibility apps – Screen reader reads out text on any screen aloud
• Improved Internet Tethering – Can use Bluetooth to tether to a PC now
• Custom Ringtones for separate contacts and each and every type of notification
• Screen rotation lock
• Better storage management
• Can now close apps on the multitasking screen
• WiFi during Phone Setup(Finally!) and BT improvements for better accessory support(Fitbit, Upcoming Nokia Tag and more)

Windows Phone just turned three a week back. While it may have grown really slow, it is good to see some much needed improvements with GDR3, but we certainly hope for a feature-complete set with Windows Phone 8.1 Blue. Another interesting bit of news that was announced along with the GDR3 update is that the Enthusiast program for previewing Microsoft’s OS is finally here. Called the “Developer Preview”, pretty much anyone with a developer account or even a free Microsoft AppStudio account can get access to the preview bits of this update, alas without the device specific firmware. Announced with Windows Phone 8′s original release, the program never showed up until now, leaving many frustrated. Well, it is finally here, and you can check out the complete details of the Preview program here.

Windows Phone 8 GDR Update 3 – A Visual Walkthrough

Microsoft just announced the Windows Phone 8 GDR Update 3 release for all WP8 devices, and also announced the “Developer Preview” program for enthusiasts who want early access to the Operating System’s pre-release bits. All it needed was a simple 3-step method to install the update on your phone, and of course, without any second thoughts, we did it on our Lumia 820. Yes, we have installed the Windows Phone 8 GDR Update 3 on our device and it’s running great. The press releases didn’t have much to show in terms of what’s really changed with the third update of the operating system, so we are going to give you a visual walkthrough of what’s new in the GDR3 update.

Video -

Lets go through the major, err.. decently substantial changes and feature additions first.

Multitasking

While the fast resume type multitasking is here to stay, Microsoft has finally added a less confusing element to a rather confusing system. With Windows Phone 8, Microsoft added the ability for apps to quickly resume from any part of the UI, be it the multitasking menu or the tile or even from the app list. For a stack-based multitasking that was present from WP7, this was slightly confusing. People were used to pressing back for no reason, just because they wanted to clear the stack and rid the applications of their supposedly “running” state. This meant that the multitasking menu was almost useless and redundant and just a portal to recently stacked app pages. So, in an effort to reduce the clueless back-clicking, there is now an X over all the stacked pages in the Multitasking screen so that each can be cleared without pressing back incessantly.There is also the neat animation for closing the app, similar to deleting an e-mail.

We hope Microsoft implement some kind of a gesture to remove the apps rather than clicking a “X” button.

Storage Management

Nokia might have released its own Storage Check app for all Windows Phones that made visualizing the files better, but Windows Phone’s own storage app was bare bones. Unfortunately, everything came to the limelight when users faced fast filling-up of storage called “Other”. Microsoft have sort of fixed this in the GDR 2 release, and now, with the new phone storage app, it is even easier to see what all files occupy the system so that you can plan on freeing up some. You can also delete the temporary files if you find them occupying more space that needed.

Driving Mode

Along with other improved Bluetooth changes, Windows Phone now incorporates a Driving mode that can manage your incoming notifications, be it a call, a message or anything. It’s all an effort to keep you concentrated on your driving. It is also noted that Microsoft already had a similar voice-guided functionality baked in Windows Phone Mango, which enabled you to respond to calls and text through voice commands for a hands free experience. This takes that further with filtering and auto-respond messages. We believe that Microsoft might have taken advantage of its automotive OS to develop this feature.

Now on to changes that are even more minor.

Custom Ringtones for contacts and every kind of notification

This is pretty self explanatory. You can set custom ringtones now, for each and every kind of notification and for separate contacts too. A much needed feature, and it is finally here.

Changes to Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.0 enabled a lot of low power interaction with crazy new devices, like Smartwatches and health monitors but none of those currently work on Windows Phone. Nokia brought some features into its Amber update in preparation of launching its own low power accessories but Microsoft too have now owned up to the problem and have added a few changes and a lot of compatibility to its Bluetooth stack. There is now a separate option to increase the speech recognition accuracy with certain devices it faced problems with, earlier. This should now work better with car systems and so on.

Screen Rotation Lock

Finally, Microsoft has acknowledged the need for a Screen rotation lock. Such a simple feature, yet it had evaded us so far. But yeah, it’s here.

Other impressions

Apart from the above changes, we noted that the OS update does nothing to the Firmware or the user data. The update is super clean and the fimrware elements like Glance Screen, Double Tap to wake are perfectly intact, so you are not really losing out on the experience if you own a Nokia or any other Windows Phone device here. The three column tiles, which is one of the major visual changes to GDR3 is obviously available only for large screens with 1920×1080 resolution. One of the announced changes that didn’t make it into the visual walkthrough above was the changes to “Internet Sharing”. It was noted in the announcement that devices with GDR3 will now be able to Tether its mobile connection to PCs over Bluetooth, but that doesn’t seem to be the case right now. We expect Microsoft to address this in the future pre release updates leading to the full GDR3 update that is slowly rolling out.

In the end, this is not a huge update and lots of features are yet to be implemented to make Windows Phone more viable. On the top of our list are – Notification Center, Granular Volume Controls, File Management, Browser downloads and so on. This will make it on par with other platforms or may be even surpass them in some, owing to some unique Windows Phone features. Services and apps wise, there is a long way to go and we hope Microsoft gets the traction and support needed to make it through, but things need to happen fast. We are certainly looking forward to seeing more enthusiast friendly programs and fast updates.

Never miss an update with the Nokia Collection app

The Windows Phone App Store can be a bit finicky with polling for updates and you often end up being stuck on a version or two behind the current release. Nokia’s Lumia series of Windows Phone devices ship with a huge amount of Nokia specific apps that add a lot of value. Nokia also regularly pushes updates to these apps to add new functionality which you really don’t want to miss out on. Though the name would suggest otherwise, the Nokia Collection app is a third party application that allows you to manually check and update Nokia specific apps. Simple in function but it does the trick and we were successfully able to use it to update some apps like Nokia Music which were not getting picked up by inbuilt update polling system. Microsoft has just started rolling out the GDR3 update and we hope this issue is fixed in it. However, in the meanwhile the app is available for a mere $0.99 and you should definitely check it out if you are using a Nokia Lumia phone.

[Source - Windows Phone Store]

Facebook acquires mobile data optimization company Onavo

Facebook has announced that they have acquired Onavo, and Israel-based company popular for its mobile utility apps and mobile market intelligence service. The company has released Data Savings and Data Count apps for both Android and iPhone. The Data Savings app compresses the incoming data and the Data Count app that  breaks down your 3G/4G/LTE data usage in detail. The company launched the Onavo Protect, a free for iOS devices recently and introduced Onavo Insights targeted at mobile app creators.

With the data compression technology and mobile analytics from Onovo, Facebook could improve the data consumption of the app and might also integrate new features. Facebook and other mobile technology leaders recently launched Internet.org, to improve the internet access, so the data compression technology from Onavo might be helpful to consume data more efficiently.

Onavo has promised that they would continue running the Onavo mobile utility apps as a standalone brand, and not remove them from the app stores after the transaction closes. Onavo’s Tel-Aviv office, which will become Facebook’s new Israeli office. This should be the first Facebook office in Israel.

These companies did not reveal the price on the deal.

iBall UFO3 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker launched for Rs. 2499

iBall has launched the UFO3, the company’s latest portable speaker with Bluetooth support. It also has a microphone for hands-free conversation over Bluetooth enabled phones and tablets. It has a eye-catching UFO-like  design and is portable to easily fit it in a back-pack. It uses advanced audio decoding for enhanced audio output wirelessly.

You can also connect a USB pen drive or a micro SD card to play music apart from Bluetooth audio streaming. It has built-in rechargeable battery that provides up to 4 hours of  wireless audio. It also has an AUX input, which is compatible with other audio sources including mobile phones, tablets, iPod, MP3 players and more.

Features of iBall UFO3

• Attractive UFO design
• Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Mic
• 2” Full range driver for enhanced audio
• Frequency Response  - 100Hz – 20kHz
• Music Playback directly from USB Pen Drive & Micro SD card
• AUX Input to connect other Audio source like iPod, MP3 players etc.
• Hardware buttons to control music
• Hands-free conversation over Bluetooth with built-in microphone
• 1050 mAh Rechargeable Battery

The iBall  UFO3 at an MRP of Rs.2, 499.

Instagram v4.2 for Android brings automatic straightening, Simplified video settings and more

Instagram for Android got updated to version 4.1 back in August that brought option to import your videos from the phone library. At the same time the iPhone app got automatic straightening feature that corrects the photo when you  tap the new Straighten icon. Now the feature is available for the Android app. Both the Android and iPhone apps got a huge update back in June that brought video support.

The straightening tool also includes a slider to rotate and adjust any photo and you can also rotate a photo 90 degrees. This update also bring simplified video settings that lets you disable sound when a video plays and option to pre-load videos only on WiFi to save data.

New features in Instagram v4.2 for Android 

• Instantly and automatically straighten your photos when you take them with the Instagram camera
• Simplified video settings to give you more control when sound plays
• Setting to control data usage when watching video

Download Instagram from the Google Play Store, if you don’t have it yet.

Evernote for BlackBerry 10 updated with Checkboxes, Image and Audio support

Evernote has updated the BlackBerry 10 app with a lot of new features including checkboxes, improved image support and audio recording. The new Checkbox option lets you add Checkboxes in notes and also lets you uncheck the items. The checkbox option is present above the keyboard when you start editing a note. No you can attach images and audio recording to your notes. You can open a new note and click the respective option to add images or record audio. 

The Evernote app is now more polished which makes it faster and more responsive. Evernote for iPhone and iPad got updated recently that brought Post-it Note Camera.

New features in Evernote BlackBerry 10

• Create checkboxes in the note editor
• Check and uncheck items in existing notes
• Add images to the notes
• Create and audio recording to your notes

Download Evernote (Free) – BlackBerry 10

Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet render shows cyan variant ahead of launch at Nokia World

By now it is pretty much assured that Nokia will be showing off a tablet device at the upcoming Nokia World event. Prolific leaker of upcoming devices, Evleaks, has let loose a render of the device that is expected to be called the Nokia Lumia  2520. While the press render shows the tablet in cyan, it is expected to be available in red, black and white variants as well. The screen is believed to be 10.1 inches and the tablet will have a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels.While there is no solid confirmation on rumors yet, the basic specifications can be nailed down fairly accurately. The tablet should be powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor and will ship with 2GB of RAM on board. Expect the usual connectivity options including micro USB, bluetooth, WiFi. An 8MP Carl Zeiss camera will likely makes its way to the back of the tablet. In built storage is expected to be 16GB for the $500 variant. The tablet will of course run Windows RT 8.1. We’re not entirely sure who this tablet is aimed at given the very tepid response towards Windows RT in the market. If this machine was running Windows 8 Pro, us and many more would have queued up to grab it. Anyhow, expect to see this announced at Nokia World on 22nd October. We’ll be reporting live from Abu Dhabi to bring you the low down on all the gadgets announced there.

Which is the Best Smartphone Camera of 2013?

2013 has been an eventful year for cameras on Smartphones. We have seen oversampling algorithms take advantage of huge sensors, increased pixel sizes subverting the megapixel race, optical image stabilization enabling great low light imaging and general widespread adoption of stacked CMOS sensors, making it one of those years when companies made their camera efforts serious. This also means that the traditional gap between the best and the rest has gotten a lot more closer. So, which is the best smartphone camera of this year? We have brought a number of flagship devices together to find out, in a blind test.

The results are out! Thanks for voting!

As you can see from the image above, these are the devices that are part of our blind test -

• Samsung Galaxy S4
• LG G2
• HTC One
• Apple iPhone 5s
• Sony Xperia Z1 – 8 MP Oversampling mode
• Nokia Lumia 1020 – 5 MP Oversampling mode

The Blind Test

Ok so this is what we have done. We have taken a total of five photos, with several parameters and lighting conditions in mind. The frames are almost similar between all the models with the only deterrent being the actual field of view of the lens. Some of the phones have a narrower view, while some have a wider field of view, making it look quite different in some of the crops you are going to see below. The six devices, numbered from 1 to 6 are placed in random order and will be revealed once the voting is over.

You’ll have sufficient zoom-in for our crops to pick your favourite of the 6 photos, but do remember that we will be uploading the full resolution samples too, along with the reveal. Anyway, lets talk about the photos now.

Sample 1

Taken outdoors, overcast conditions. This image above is from one of the samples, but it has been heavily re-touched in Photoshop and is not true-to-life, but don’t worry the crops are untouched, obviously. Also remember that overcast conditions, that too in evenings(taken at around 04:00 p.m) mean they are actually a bit dark. Our aim is to see which phone resolves the best detail with the right white balance and exposure. Here are the crops – (click to open full resolution)

Sample 2

Again, this outdoor photo is all about resolving detail. We have an open book with small text, which phone can make the best out of it? The crops -

Sample 3

A typical macro shot. Here we set out to find which has the best “bokeh” meaning a shallower depth of field. Also notice how the field of views are largely different for each camera. Choose your pick from these crops -

Sample 4

This out first low light test in this shootout and a really unique one at that. This is a colour palette, lit by the phone’s flash in a completely dark room. The distance is not that far so there are no advantages for xenon flashes, and this is all about focusing in the dark and making out the right colours, choose your pick -

Sample 5

Extreme low light conditions, with a really dim flourescent light bulb being the only source. Here we looked for the the brightest one with true-to-life detail and colours. Pick your favourite -

We know that providing full resolution samples would have been a better option, but pixel peepers would naturally find out the camera model too, irrespective of us stripping the EXIF info, so yeah, that’s about it for all our test samples. Time for the comments now!