Lumia questions: you ask, we answer

We’d like to introduce a new monthly feature that answers some of the burning questions you have about Lumia and Windows Phone.

We take your feedback seriously. We love it when you share your thoughts and suggestions on how we can give you the best Lumia experience.

So we figure it’s high time that we address some of your questions about the Lumia smartphone family and Windows Phone. Enter “Lumia questions: you ask, we answer,” a brand-new monthly question-and-answer column.

While we can’t answer all of your questions—for example, the availability of some Lumia smartphones and Lumia Denim depends on the country you live in and the carrier you use—we’ll try to answer questions on features that can help you get the most out of your Lumia.

Each month, we’ll address three to five questions you leave in our comments section. Here’s the first round-up:

Question: Reader Peter Andrew asked us here in our story about the Keeper app and if it was different or better than Password Manager app.

Answer: If the aim is to store passwords, log-in details and other essential information, then Password Manager is an app with a no-fuss user interface. You can read more about it here in our story on mobile banking.

However if you wish to encrypt your information and need something more than just a password manager, then the Keeper app also acts as a data vault for your Windows Phone, computer and web browser. You can also share records with business teams, work groups and family members with the app.

Keep in mind that the added encryption feature is not available in the free version.

Question: Grzecho asked in our story here about an app that records stereo sound.

Answer: The go-to app for recording sound is The Sound Recorder. Lumia smartphones such as the Lumia 1520, Lumia 1020 and Lumia 930  are equipped to record stereo sound with their mics, but if you wish to only record sound give the The Sound Recorder a try.

It lets you record, store and share voices from your Lumia smartphone’s microphone and skips silence while recording. Offering both mono and stereo recording options, it supports sample rate up to 96 khz.

Here’s a recent story featuring audio-recording and editing apps for Windows Phone.

Question: Our readers Hradayesh Nimavat and Wei Chu JoJackfruit asked, “What’s the availability of Social News app on other mobile platforms?”

Answer: The Social News app is available on all devices running Windows Phone 8.1, and from the browser on other operating systems. To find out if your mobile phone’s OS can run Social News, check the app’s support page here. For more information, read our recent story here to understand how Social News works..

What other questions would you like us to answer? Share them in the comments below.