Not just Nokia: Samsung's ATIV S Neo Windows Phone is coming to AT&T - The Verge

Microsoft's Nokia acquisition has cast doubt over the future of Windows Phones from competing manufacturers, but there'll be at least one more release on a major carrier this year. The Samsung Ativ S Neo, a variant of last year's Ativ S that came to Sprint in August, will be available on AT&T from November 8th for $99.99 with a two-year contract. It has a 4.8-inch 720p display, an 8-megapixel camera, a microSD slot, and a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor.

Given that the Ativ S was largely based on Samsung's Galaxy S III, the Neo's release doesn't tell us much about whether third-party OEMs will be willing to invest in Windows Phone 8 in the future — Samsung hasn't produced a flagship phone for the platform all year. But it does suggest that AT&T still has at least some interest in continuing to sell devices from other companies, after releasing no notable Windows Phones from anyone but Nokia since the HTC 8X last November.

HTC hints at life beyond smartphones - Financial Times

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HTC hints at life beyond smartphones Financial Times ... not bode well for HTC. Nokia was acquired on the cheap by Microsoft after its Lumia phones failed to win over consumers while a shrunken BlackBerry is also in talks with a variety of partners after its latest devices struggled to sell. ... Mr Chou ...

Nokia Lumia 929 caught on video, may reach Verizon by Thanksgiving - Engadget

Disappointed that the rumored Lumia 929 didn't surface at Nokia's big event this past week? Don't worry -- WPCentral forum member Falorin has posted photos and a video (after the break) revealing more details of Verizon's Windows Phone flagship. As previous leaks implied, the 929 is effectively a compact Lumia 1520; the 1080p screen resolution, 20-megapixel camera and Snapdragon 800 chip remain intact. There's no microSD slot, although there will reportedly be models with 32GB and 64GB of built-in storage. The biggest surprise is Nokia's use of a nano-SIM, which suggests that the company no longer minds using a competitor's SIM format. Those who like what they see might not have to wait long to try the new Lumia for themselves. If Falorin is accurate, Verizon hopes to release the 929 around Thanksgiving.

9 Things That Wouldn't Exist If Apple Hadn't Launched The iPhone Six Years Ago - Business Insider

AP

Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone in 2007.

Few consumer gadgets have had as big of an impact on the tech industry and culture at large as the iPhone.

The Safari browser gave iPhone users the first taste of having access to the full Web on a mobile device.

Multitouch made the iPhone a truly touch-based experience, not a miniaturized extrapolation of the keyboard and mouse.

The App Store (which came a year after the first iPhone) created a huge market for developers to sell their wares.

These features — and the devices that followed in the iPhone's footsteps — are responsible for the later emergence of a number of apps, services, and trends in the tech industry.

iPad Air release sparks rise in tablet trade-ins - Telegraph.co.uk

The iPad 4 64GB 4G is currently the most expensive current tablet on sellmymobile.com with consumers being able to recycle it for as much as £323.

Colin White, managing director of sellmymobile.com said: "The new iPad Air sees one of the most significant changes to the iPad's hardware that we have seen in a while – it's light, thinner, faster and as tablets continue to increase in popularity, it's not surprising that gadget-obsessed Brits are starting to upgrade them in the same way that we have seen with mobile phones in the past.

"As they cash in on old devices they are able to then upgrade to the latest model."

Top 10 most wanted tablets in the UK

1. iPad Air

2. Google Nexus 7

3. iPad Mini 2

4. Google Nexus 10

5. Samsung Galaxy Note

6. Kindle / Kindle Fire

7. Microsoft Surface

8. Another tablet model

Top 10 most recycled tablets in the UK (and their highest trade-in prices)

1. Samsung Galaxy Note (£300)

2. Apple iPad 2 (£340)

3. Apple iPad 3 (£310)

4. Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (£263.20)

5. Apple iPad 4 (£340)

6. Apple iPad Mini (£305)

7. Apple iPad (£176)

8. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (£76)

9. BlackBerry Playbook (£56.50)

10. Samsung Galaxy 2 10 .1 (£138)

Nokia Tweets Sneak Peek of Instagram for Windows Phone - The Next Web

Nokia today tweeted an image featuring two Lumia 1020s: one shows off the back of the device and the other is facing forward, running Instagram for Windows Phone. Unfortunately, there's still no date of availability for the hightly-anticipated app as Nokia merely echoed the frustrating "coming weeks" timeframe.

You did it! Thanks to you, Instagram is arriving on Nokia #Lumia in the coming weeks. RT if you're excited! pic.twitter.com/tR3YnNnBYA

— Nokia USA (@NokiaUS) October 28, 2013

During Nokia's Lumia tablet and smartphone event in Abu Dhabi last week, Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom revealed the app most Windows Phone users have been eagerly waiting for is finally coming. It looks like Nokia and Instagram are building up a very strong relationship; notice the tweet doesn't even mention "Windows Phone" and just touts Nokia's Lumia brand.

See also – Instagram for Windows Phone is finally official: Will arrive in the 'coming weeks'

Top Image Credit: Krzysztof Szkurlatowski

Windows 8.1 is here - so come on, Microsoft, when is RT getting a bullet? - TechRadar UK

• Microsoft outs fix for Surface RT tablets bricked by Windows RT 8.1 update
• Surface 2 extends Microsoft's Windows RT long game - for now
• Windows RT can't catch a break, 8.1 updates halted due to installation issues

Happy Windows 8.1 day, everyone! If anyone's hosting a faintly creepy Windows party like the ones Microsoft promoted for Windows 7, do let us know.

It's easy to mock some of Microsoft's lesser PR ideas, but Windows 8.1 itself is a solid update, albeit more akin to a service pack than a major upgrade: if you already like Windows 8 you'll like 8.1 a bit more, and if you hate it you'll hate 8.1 a bit less. It also means that at last, there's a Facebook app for Windows 8.

The very fact that the Facebook app is newsworthy - because for an entire year, the world's biggest social network couldn't be bothered to make an app for the world's biggest operating system - sums up the dank cloud surrounding Windows these days. For many, Windows 8.1 isn't an exciting new update, but an Elastoplast.

The Microsoft legend says that it takes three attempts to get things right. This week's Windows is Windows 8 version two.

Now what?

Who's wearing the red shirt?

If we're reading Windows' tea leaves through the medium of product announcements, and we are, then here's another: Lenovo's Miix 2 brings Bay Trail, Office and Windows 8.1 together in a titchy tablet that'll sell for just $299.

What you're seeing isn't just a nifty little tablet. You're seeing yet another nail in the coffin of Windows RT.

Here's another one. Windows Phone 8.1 will support devices with larger screens.

Never mind the competition and their supersonic sales figures, Windows RT is being attacked on two fronts by its own siblings.

Windows Phone is scaling up, and Windows 8.1 is turning up on some surprisingly affordable hardware. That means Microsoft is increasingly offering a choice of a mobile OS, a desktop/tablet OS and a half-arsed hybrid of the two.

The "One Microsoft" currently has three Windows for two platforms: there's big-Windows on Intel, and there's phone-Windows and weird-Windows on ARM. If this were Star Trek, Windows RT would be the one wearing the red shirt.

No matter how great Microsoft makes its Surfaces, RT is always going to be a poor relation. The OEMs just aren't interested, especially now that even Microsoft's former best friends see it as an "outright competitor".

Windows RT was a gamble, and it didn't pay off - and the tea leaves suggest that this time next year, Microsoft will cut its losses.