WP8 Waze Beta Preview

On June 18th, the Waze Beta app for Windows Phone was finally released to select beta testers. Although Google's recent acquisition of Waze has brought on thoughts of concern for the app's future on the Windows Phone platform, the beta release shows a good start to the app's eventual release.

Coming Soon : Waze

Slowly but surely, Windows Phone seems to be gaining marketshare, which in turn relates to more of the popular apps hitting the WP8 ecosystem. Waze is an extremely popular navigation app and one I used extensively back on iOS. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of support the developers seemed to show for the Windows platform and have been using Nokia's Here as a replacement. But the social and interactive features of Waze is what makes it such a great app, especially in metropolitan areas like San Francisco where a lot of users update in real time. The live traffic updates and quick performance made it a must-use while driving in the city.

Now, it seems that the Israeli-based company is ready to launch Waze on WP8 as early as June. Whether you're a fan or not, this is another good step for the WP platform as more and more popular apps hit the marketplace.

Source : WPCentral

Nokia "1314" Firmware Update

Nokia has pushed out another firmware update (1314) today for AT&T users, just over a week after it's "1308" firmware update was rolled out. Many users were complaining of connectivity issues and the change log Nokia has provided seems to address this issue. The official firmware release is 1232.5962.1314.0001.

WP App Preview : Instagraph

The long-awaited third-party Instagram application, Instagraph, finally hit the marketplace, but in less than a day has already failed miserably. Linking your pre-existing Instagram account was easy enough (sorry, no new account creation for now) and I would've loved to test out the app more thoroughly, but  the developers turned off the upload and have temporarily removed the app from the marketplace.

Lumia 920 Firmware Update for AT&T

AT&T rolled out the newest firmware update for Nokia Lumia 920 users (firmware 1308) on March 26th, 2013. Included in this firmware are a bunch of fixes including but not limited to "proximity sensor parameters, improved automatic display brightness adjustment, and performance improvements." Camera performance is also said to be improved and as seen in the image above, a storage tool is now included.

Free SEGA Games

Nokia Corporation is offering free versions of Sega's Sonic CD and Super Monkey Ball 2. These are the full games, however, they aren't connected to XBOX Live so if you're an achievement lover you might be disappointed. Still, I think it's great that Nokia is able to offer these full games for free.

Scan the QR code below or click here to download Sonic CD

Scan the QR code below or click here to download Super Monkey Ball 2 - SE

Nokia Drive+ Beta WP8 Release

Nokia has released Nokia Drive+ Beta for all Windows Phone 8 users for the US, Canada, and UK. Previously, the turn-by-turn voice navigation was exclusive for Nokia WP8 handsets only, but they have now made it available to all users of Windows Phone 8.

Google Maps returns to Windows Phone

For those keeping track of the Google vs Microsoft battle regarding Google Maps, it seems that Google has re-activated access to Windows Phone users. Google first claimed that Google Maps wasn't compatible with mobile IE, then said it was running performance tests. Whatever the reason, access seems to be restored for now ...

Source : The Verge

Nokia's System QR Codes

Nokia has a few system "apps" which are periodically updated to improve certain phone features. Unfortunately there is no way to actually search for them in the marketplace. However, you can use the following QR codes so that you can check and update these "apps" right away instead of waiting for the push notifications.

Google vs. Microsoft *UPDATE*

The release of Windows Phone 8 brought along a bunch of new users who use many of Google's products. Google has a big presence on the internet so it's no doubt that a lot of internet users make use of their various products as such Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendars, Google Drive, and more. Unfortunately, Google seems intent to prevent these users from easily using their products on their new Microsoft device.

Initially, Google made a statement that they wouldn't be concentrating on releasing their mobile apps on Windows Phone 8, all of which are readily available on iOS and of course, Android, due to the low marketshare. Google then stated that they would stop support for CalDAV, an internet standard for syncing, which would render Google Calendar useless for new users.

And now more recently, they seem to have blocked access to Google Maps via the mobile Internet Explorer web browser.