Microsoft is pushing the kill switch on app downloads through the Zune PC software. Instead, from now on if you want to download Windows Phone apps you’ll need to do it on your device or using the web-based Windows Phone Marketplace. The move makes sense, because the Zune PC software wasn’t really designed to be an app store or app management service. It was originally… Read more »

Skype is a voice and video chat app for PC and mobile which lets users make cheap or free calls to other Skype users or telephone numbers. Microsoft bought Skype in 2011, so it’s no surprise that the company was working on a Windows Phone app to join the Skype apps for Android and iOS. Skype for Windows Phone has been available as a public… Read more »

ChevronWP7 Labs offered a limited jailbreaking tool for phones running Windows Phone 7 for a brief period of time. The tool didn’t give you complete access over your phone’s software the way that rooting an Android phone or jailbreaking an iPhone does. But it did make it possible to install apps that were not downloaded from the official Windows Phone Marketplace. Now the folks behind… Read more »

Uber is a service that lets users book rides from a private car service in 25 different US cities. The company offers iPhone and Android apps that let you request a car from your phone — but now there’s also a mobile web app aimed at people that don’t have a supported phone. The m.uber.com website is designed for BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and other mobile… Read more »

Nokia has released a public beta of a new app called Play To for its Lumia Windows Phone handsets. Play To lets you stream photos and videos to any DLNA-capable device on your home network. DLNA is a protocol for streaming content over a WiFi network, and it’s supported by some recent televisions as well as set-top-boxes such as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Windows Media… Read more »

There are over half a million apps available for iOS, and nearly as many for Google Android phones and tablets. While the Windows Phone Marketplace is still trailing far behind, Microsoft’s app store is playing catch up. According to Microsoft, there are now more than 70,000 Windows phone apps available from download from the Windows Marketplace. In fact, there are about 300 new apps showing… Read more »

A leaked build of the next version of Windows Phone is making the rounds, and the folks at xda-developers are compiling a list of new features found in the software. One of the most interesting changes is that the new version of Windows Phone will allow you to run 8 tasks in the background. Currently Windows Phone only supports up to 5 background apps. The change appears… Read more »

Microsoft recently announced that it’s easing its hardware restrictions for Windows Phone devices, allowing phone makers to load Windows Phone 7 software on devices with slower processors and less memory. That could get Windows Phone software into more people’s hands… but some apps designed for more powerful phones may not run properly on the new cheaper handsets such as the upcoming Nokia Lumia 610 and… Read more »

It’s been almost a year since Microsoft bought Skype, so it’s no surprise that the companies have been working on a Skype voice and video chat for Windows Phone devices. Now the first public beta is available. You can download the app for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace. It lets you make audio or video calls for free over WiFi, 3G, or 4G connections. You… Read more »

Microsoft may have given up on the Windows Mobile operating system, opting to start over from scratch with Windows Phone 7. But some users haven’t given up on Windows Mobile, and the thousands of games and other apps designed to run on the aging mobile operating system. The folks at the Dark Forces Team are working on a new project called WML which allows you… Read more »