Welcome to another installment of the Weekly Wrap, our look back at the week’s most fun and interesting Windows Phone news from around the web. Did I miss your favorite story? Share it in comments.
Welcome back, Foursquare!
The much-missed official Foursquare app has checked into Marketplace again, sporting a snazzy new look and some great new features in its 2.0 incarnation like recommended places, most explored, and check in history. (Read more on the Foursquare blog.) Foursquare, in case you haven’t heard, is a location-based social app that helps you discover new places to go and things to do around town. See where your friends are and what they like, while “checking in” to share your own travels, earning points and prizes along the way. Download it now
Engadget goes in-depth with Mango
As we mentioned, we recently gave reviewers some hands on time with an early version of Mango, our next Windows Phone release. Now the Engadget crew has posted one of the most detailed previews we’ve seen to date. If you really want to sink your teeth into Mango, check it out. “Overall, we’ve come away with a positive outlook on Windows Phone’s newest iteration, and are very eager to see the finished result,” they conclude.
The Windows Phone apps everyone should have
Who can get enough of lists? I can’t. Luckily, there were two great ones this week. First PC World published their list of “essential” WP7 apps, which you should definitely check out. Then Gizmodo provided their take on the best of the best apps for Windows Phone. Curious what they picked—and whether you’re using them yet? Read on
Tips & tricks: Importing contacts, finding download history
I spotted two great tip posts this week. 1800PocketPC revealed where you can find a record of all the apps you’ve ever downloaded for your phone—handy of you ever need to reinstall something. See how they did it. WP Central, meanwhile, showed how to import Outlook contacts on your PC to a Windows Phone if you don’t have an Exchange account or contacts stored in the cloud. Check it out
Office 365 and Windows Phone
This week Microsoft launched the much-anticipated new cloud-based version of its popular business productivity suite, dubbed Office 365. What you might not know is how nicely Windows Phone 7 works with it. This short video, excerpted from the Office 365 launch-day demo by the folks at WMPU, provides a nice overview. Take a peek.
Ford previews its Focus app
This is way cool: Ford is working on a Windows Phone companion app for its forthcoming Ford Focus Electric vehicle. Here’s a demo they gave this week to the crew at IntoMobile. The app—MyFord Mobile—can can locate your car, unlock your doors, and even pre-heat your car during the winter. It displays the amount of CO2 emissions you’ve prevented—and even has its own Xbox-style achievement system. And the phone used in the demo? A Focus, of course.
Amazon gets fresh with our phone
The online retailer launched a new app this week for it’s Seattle-only grocery delivery service, AmazonFresh, and the app is exclusive to Windows Phone. Yep, none of the other guys have it yet. The app lets you shop for groceries, schedule delivery times, and manage your account. Download it now
TV app avalanche
Four hot TV news apps hit the Marketplace during the week. NBC’s Nightly News app lets you watch full broadcasts of the evening news and share them on Facebook. The new Fox News app, meanwhile, showcases its popular stories and video clips. The MTV News app brings you the latest on pop-culture. And fear not citizens of the Colbert Nation: The Colbert Report’s The Word App streams the show’s popular “The Word” segments to your phone and has a Live Tile too. Which ones do you plan on downloading?
Download NBC Nightly News | Download Fox News | Download MTV News | Download The Word
And finally…
Our friends at Windows Phone UK just kicked off a new contest to celebrate the finale of our popular Must Have Games program and the arrival of Angry Birds in Marketplace this week. The prize: a new Windows Phone 7 and an Xbox 360 with Kinect. To win, review any of the six Must Have Games and post your write up on Facebook or your favorite blog. Entries will be judged on criteria including originality and humor. Hurry because the contest, which is open only to UK residents, ends on July 7. Check out the details