Windows Phone Blog

10 classic Xbox games from Gameloft on sale through June 25

2013-06-19T20:10:46Z

Gameloft, which has released a flurry of great Xbox games for Windows Phone 8 in recent months, has slashed prices on 10 of its classic titles—some by as much as 67%. The sale, which runs through June 25, includes hits like Real Soccer and Asphalt 5 (both $0.99, regularly $2.99), Let’s Golf 2 and UNO (now $1.99, regularly $4.99), and movie legends The Amazing Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises (now $2.99, regularly $6.99). See the full list here

Q&A: Britt Atack, 44, school athletic director

2013-06-18T21:32:53Z

[Part of our occasional series spotlighting real people and their real Windows Phones. –.ed]

To all appearances, Britt Atack is an easygoing kind of guy. He pads around The Northwest School in shorts, t-shirt, and a well-worn pair of Vibram Five Fingers, calling out affable greetings to students and colleagues.

But his job as athletic director of this Seattle independent school for grades 6 to 12 means a demanding schedule and lots of juggling. So Britt, 44, relies on his HTC 8X with Windows Phone 8 to help him stay on top of his chaotic workday while preserving his laid-back demeanor. I sat down with him earlier this month on the Northwest School’s Capitol Hill campus to get the details.

What’s a typical day at work look like for you?

First thing in the morning, I work at home so I can take my daughter to school. But one of the tenets of my job is to be available for coaches, parents, and any administrative issues that come up. I’m in and out of my office all day, sometimes in meetings, but I need to know whether fields are rained out, whether a bus broke down. I need to coordinate with buses, parents, coaches, and officials, wherever I am.

How does your Windows Phone help you manage things?

It’s substantially changed my ability to do business in two places at once and to know about a problem in time to be able to fix it. I can look at those big squares to see calls, texts, my school email, my other email, various threads that are happening. Let’s say a parent is lost in Bellevue trying to find her daughter’s game, and she sends me an email because that’s the only contact info she’s got for me. Even though I’m not at my desk, I can see it and save the day. I used my phone to take headshots of the track and field kids for the state website. And I can update our website from my phone—I could never do that from my old Android. It took forever to load.

Why did you choose a Windows Phone?

The school was providing the phone, and I could have chosen anything—iPhone, Android. One of our IT guys had a Windows Phone, and he really liked it and spent 20 minutes showing me how it worked. The visual layout was clean, it seemed really intuitive, and I liked the aesthetics. Also, I didn’t want a big learning curve, and I was able to get up and running with 98 percent of what I need in 20 minutes.

It sounds like your phone is a pretty key part of your work day. Do you use it for anything else?

I’m on a pro Ultimate [frisbee] team with a bunch of young twentysomething guys, and they’re always sending funny stuff around via email. One guy made [ESPN] Sports Center for some amazing play, and everyone was commenting—that’s fun. I also like the grocery store effect, where my wife and I can stay in the loop when one of us is going to the store. And then one of my students just showed me how to set up Facebook on my phone. I didn’t know I could do that. She was like “Dude, just give me the phone.”

Popular Microsoft photo app BLINK adds animation, sharing features

2013-06-18T16:14:41Z

Back in February Microsoft Research released BLINK, a handy free photo app for Windows Phone 8 that captures a burst of images when you press the shutter button so you can pick the best shots. It was an instant hit, racking up more than 317,000 downloads and hundreds of 5-star reviews in the four months since.

Today Microsoft scientists released an update to BLINK, and version 2.0 adds some mighty cool stuff: the ability to create and share short video clips. Grab it here

BLINK, a Lens app that integrates right into your camera viewfinder, captures a total of 16 frames, beginning just before you press the camera button and ending about a second afterward. As a Microsoft Research news article explains today, the new animation and sharing features were inspired by a simple observation: People seemed to be having as much fun flipping through each series of photos as they were deciding which shots to keep.

So the updated app adds a new button to turn a group of shots into an animated flipbook called—you guessed it—a “BLINK.” Notes the article: “It’s the perfect time span for capturing just a bit of motion—your baby’s breaking smile, perhaps, or a back flip off a diving board.” The updated app also provides options for sharing BLINKs with friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, email, and Socl, Microsoft’s homegrown social network dedicated to collages and other artsy digital creations.

Check out the video Microsoft Research put together to see a little tutorial of how it all works. Windows 8 users should also check out the new BLINK Cliplets app released today in the Windows Store.

Say what! Speech recognition gets faster, more accurate on Windows Phone

2013-06-17T16:10:44Z

Your Windows Phone is becoming a better listener.

In a blog post today, the Bing team announced that voice search and voice-to-text—two popular Bing-powered phone features—are now up to twice as fast and 15 percent more accurate, a feat accomplished by exploiting some recent biology-inspired artificial intelligence breakthroughs from Microsoft Research scientists.

Check out the video below to see Bing’s Stefan Weitz and MSR’s Michael Tjalve demo some of these improvements on Windows Phone 8—or just try them yourself (U.S. only for now). Tap the Search button, then the little microphone icon, and then tell Bing to find something. I said, “Show me movies playing in Seattle” and my search results popped right up. You can also try dictating a text message or email (again, just look for the little mic icon in each of those apps). If you’ve never played around with the phone’s speech recognition features, this how-to article is a great place to start.

Teaching a computer to understand the human voice in both real time and noisy real-life environments is no easy feat. And it turns out there’s a fascinating backstory to how Bing engineers and their Microsoft Research collaborators pulled it off. The Inside Microsoft Research blog dives deeper into the science behind today’s news.

As you’ll see, it revolves around something called deep neural networks. You pretty much need a PhD to understand the details of this stuff, but simply put what’s cool about the research is that it draws on biology and the human brain’s natural pattern recognition ability for inspiration. In practice, deep neural networks involve lots of mind-twisting math, racks of fast computers, and a mountain of data to learn from.

As the post notes, deep neural networks show promise for other phone-related applications, too. One is real-time language translation. Imagine popping open the Bing Translator app on your phone, speaking in English, and hearing your voice simultaneously translated into Mandarin—and the Chinese-speaking voice even sounds just like you.

Don’t expect your phone to do that any time soon. But as MSR’s Rick Rashid demonstrated at a recent conference (a story described in today’s post), it’s also not necessarily science fiction and just one example of what deep neural network research might someday make possible.

Now in the Store: Fairway Solitaire for Windows Phone 8

2013-06-13T15:06:48Z

Fairway Solitaire is an unusual but award-winning combination of golf and solitaire from Big Fish Games. The new Windows Phone edition features more than 350 hand-crafted courses—including 18 new ones you won’t find on any other phone. The app and first few courses are free—or unlock them all for $1.99. Download it now for Windows Phone 8.

The game has you aiming for long drives by playing as many cards in a row as you can. Sound difficult? There are golf course hazards like water and sand traps, and one comically angry gopher named McDivot determined to get in your way. But play your cards right and you just might play through. The game features a Live Tile that shows your running score (something else you won’t find on other versions of the game). Dozens of trophies, mini games, and a golf shop featuring power-ups, meanwhile, help keep you hooked.

N.O.V.A. 3, a first-person sci-fi stunner, launches on Windows Phone 8

2013-06-12T16:48:31Z

Gameloft’s highly-anticipated first-person shooter N.O.V.A. 3 ($6.99) touched down in the Store this morning. The game costs $6.99 and runs only on higher-memory Windows Phone 8 models. Buy it now

In the game, you play under the helmet of Kal Wardin, former officer of the Near Orbital Vanguard Alliance, who’s been called back to war-torn Earth. His mission: liberate it from the alien Volterite army and recover a mysterious alien artifact.

But you’ll probably be mesmerized less by the game’s storyline than its stunning sci-fi visuals, which practically make you forget you’re not at home sitting in front of your Xbox. The game features 10 immersive levels across the galaxy and 20 Xbox Live achievements. It also lets you play alone or against others, either online or via local W-Fi. Group battles look especially cool: The game features 7 multiplayer modes with 12-player fights—and voice chat to coordinate your moves with friends in real time. In N.O.V.A. 3, multiple allies can also now hop in the same vehicle to head off to battle.

This game definitely sets a high bar for mobile FPS titles. What’s your favorite shooter for Windows Phone?

This month’s Windows Phone Photo Challenge: summer nights #reinvented

2013-06-11T17:46:58Z

We’ve been impressed by all your submissions to our past Windows Phone Photo Challenges. So we want to show them off even more.

This month, we’re changing our Facebook cover photo to feature one of your photos. We’ll also showcase select fan photos on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and the Insider newsletter.

Our latest theme is Summer Nights #Reinvented, so send us photos taken with your Windows Phone that capture how you’ve reinvented a summer evening this year. On each photo that is selected, we’ll display the first name of the person who took the photo, their hometown and the name of the Windows Phone device used to take the photo. We can’t wait to see what you share!

Here’s an example of what your photo will look like on our Facebook page:

To submit your Windows Phone Photo:

1. Take an awesome photo with your Windows Phone.

2. E-mail your entry to windowsphone@microsoft.com.

3. In the subject line of your e-mail, please write “CHALLENGE: SUMMER NIGHTS #REINVENTED”.

Feel free to take a look at our previous winners too: Pets, Favorite Places, Happy Holidays!, Love, and Photosynth.

When you send in your photos to windowsphone@microsoft.com, please let us know which phone you took it with, which photo apps you used, your name, what city/state/country you’re from, and 2-3 sentences describing the photo, the story behind it, and why you think it represents summer nights #reinvented. Here are some more details:

The photo you send must have been taken with (and edited, if you prefer to edit) on a Windows Phone. Please attach the original JPEG file to your e-mail, with metadata included.
Please name your image file using your first and last name, followed by the theme of the contest (this month it’s “Summer”). So, for instance, my e-mail might include a photograph named DavidChenSummer.JPG.
Please use the highest resolution possible when sending your photos. One entry per person, please.
This challenge runs from now until 11:59 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, June 25, 2013.
Entries may be featured on our social channels within one week of submission. Entries will be judged on their creativity, resourcefulness, aesthetic beauty, and just the overall impression your photo makes on us.
Read the full rules here.

Now in the Store: MapQuest for Windows Phone 8

2013-06-10T18:31:14Z

It’s always nice to have options—and now there’s a familiar new one to help you get from A to Z. MapQuest, one of the original web-based mapping services, released its first Windows Phone app this morning. The app is free and works only on Windows Phone 8. Download it now

The MapQuest app gets the job done and looks good doing it. The clean, modern design shows real-time traffic conditions, calculates driving routes, and supplies voice-guided directions. Handy optional map layers make it easy to find restaurants, hotels, and other places of interest. Pin your destination to Start for quick access, with Live Tile updates based on your current location.

I definitely felt a little fond rush of nostalgia when downloading the app this morning. The service, which traces its origins all the way back to 1967 and a Chicago-based maker of paper maps, burst onto the web as MapQuest in 1996. (Today it’s owned by AOL.) Those printable maps reliably guided me to a lot of college parties back then. Now they’re going to help do the same for my kids’ play dates. How about you?

Temple Run: Brave for Windows Phone 8 is here

2013-06-07T15:48:55Z

Lace up your shoes, Temple Run fans. The Brave-themed version of the megahit endless running game just arrived for Windows Phone 8. Price: $0.99. Buy it here

In Temple Run: Brave, you play Merida, heroine of the Disney/Pixar movie, as she races, slides, jumps, turns, and shoots across Scotland’s backcountry wilds—all in gorgeous visuals inspired by the film. This fun iteration of Imangi Studios’ original Temple Run also introduces archery: just tap a target to aim and fire, and earn extra coins with every bulls-eye. And if you can outrun Mordu, the demon bear, you’ll earn running glory.

Official Twitter app adds new features

2013-06-06T16:09:46Z

It seems like only yesterday that we were announcing big improvements for Twitter’s official Windows Phone 8 app. Today, Twitter delivered yet another batch of nice upgrades, including several new photo-friendly features. Here are the highlights:

Lens app integration.
An improved tweet composition experience with photo filter support. Just tap the camera icon to capture an image from your phone’s viewfinder, or pull in a shot from your Cameral Roll. Then apply one of 8 new filters (you can see them below).
Play embedded Vine videos directly from within tweets.
Save tweeted photos to your phone.
Refresh lists on-demand.

There’s also a bunch of bug fixes and a few more goodies I’m probably forgetting. So if you don’t own the official Twitter app yet, now’s a good time to grab it.

Domino’s delivers an official app for Windows Phone 8

2013-06-05T17:23:58Z

Need to refuel after that Jetpack Joyride binge? Satisfying your pizza craving just got a big assist from the free and official Domino’s Pizza app, which also arrived for Windows Phone 8 today. Download it now

You can custom build your own pie, pick from their lineup of popular pizzas—or go in a totally different direction: the app lets you order anything on Domino’s menu from any of its nearly 5,000 U.S. stores. Hands full? Just say “large pepperoni,” and the item is ready for your cart—score one for speech recognition.

The app has other nice features, too, like the ability to track past orders and serve up money-saving coupons. But my favorite is probably the Domino’s Tracker, which helps tame my hunger pangs by letting me follow my pizza’s progress from order to oven to doorstep.

Now in the Store: Jetpack Joyride for Windows Phone 8

2013-06-05T15:00:00Z

The award-winning game Jetpack Joyride just landed in the Store. It’s free and for Windows Phone 8 only. Download it here

Created by the people behind the smash hit (sorry, couldn’t resist) Fruit Ninja, the game puts you in the shoes of Barry Steakfries, who busts into a secret laboratory and suits up in the experimental jetpacks under development there. With your robot pal, Flash, by your side, you’ll have to dodge bullets, bubbles, rainbows, lasers, and more. Along the way, you can change up your outfit, add gadgets with special abilities, plus collect coins, vehicles, and power-ups. It’s a wild ride.

Coming this summer: A new Halo for Windows Phone 8

2013-06-04T13:12:26Z

Add this to your list of must-see summer blockbusters: The first Halo game in franchise history for Windows Phone.

Microsoft today unveiled Halo: Spartan Assault, a new single-player shooter coming exclusively to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. The game is scheduled to be released in July with an expected price tag of $6.99. It’s the first Halo title designed for touch screens.

The new game should appeal to both hardcore fans and Halo newbies. Played from a top-down (as opposed to first-person) perspective, Halo: Spartan Assault mines some rich storytelling territory. Set in the years between Halo 3 and Halo 4, it offers new insights into the first missions of the Spartan Ops program, the history of the Human-Covenant wars, and the rise of Commander Sarah Palmer. Check out the trailer:

In the game, which spans 25 missions, you play either Commander Palmer or Spartan Davis aboard the UNSC Infinity. The title features weekly challenges, leaderboards, and more than 40 in-game achievements and medals. You can also shop for better weapons, armor, or abilities within the game. Beyond the game’s storyline, there’s another cool Halo 4 tie-in: Playing Spartan Assault can earn you experience points and unlock new achievements and emblems for your Halo 4 Spartan.

Another great thing about Halo: Spartan Assault is that it’s designed to work hand-in-hand with Windows 8. If you’ve played Skulls of the Shogun, the cross-platform Xbox hit released this year, you know what I mean: You’ll be able to pause Halo: Spartan Assault on the phone and pick up where you left off on your PC or tablet. The Xbox Wire blog has more of the story. And here’s the game’s official website.

Today’s announcement isn’t the only big Halo news of late, either. Last month, Microsoft announced that it was planning a live action Halo TV series for Xbox Live, with Steven Spielberg signed up as executive producer. So there’s a lot to look forward to. Meantime, here are a few more screenshots to whet your appetite—and don’t forget to try out the Xbox SmartGlass and Halo Waypoint companion apps for Windows Phone while you wait.

What do you think?

We’re throwing a Twitter photo party tomorrow! Show up and you could win a Nokia Lumia 928

2013-06-03T19:26:58Z

As you may have read, we’ve recently partnered with the mobile photography community We Are Juxt to discuss how Windows Phone has #reinvented taking pictures with your smartphone camera (Check out their awesome Windows Phone photography group on Flickr).

To celebrate this partnership, we’re having a live chat on Twitter tomorrow, June 4^th to tweet photos, discuss tips and tricks, and share stories of photographic adventures. Join our Twitter party, and you could win a new Nokia Lumia 928!

Here’s how to enter:

Step 1. Sign into your Twitter account and become a follower of @WindowsPhone and our chat partner @TapInfluence.

Step 2. Beginning June 4th at 2:00 p.m. ET, @TapInfluence will tweet six questions. Tweet your answer with the hashtag #reinvented for a chance to win. (You can enter up to six times—once for each question.)

Of course, it wouldn’t be a contest without the official terms and conditions. Read the official rules on SkyDrive.

See you on Twitter and keep sharing your great Windows Phone photos using #WPphoto!

Official Adobe Reader app for Windows Phone 8 arrives

2013-06-03T16:14:55Z

Adobe Systems, which invented the PDF, this morning published its official PDF document reader for Windows Phone 8. Download it now

With the free Adobe Reader you can open and read a wide variety of PDF documents, including ones that come password protected. Built-in features include the ability to copy and paste, search the text for specific words, and zoom in on a page. Navigate docs quick with thumbnails, then read page-by-page or in continuous scroll mode. Hyperlinks and bookmarks are supported, too, so you can jump directly to a webpage or to a particular section of a PDF.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.