Category Archives: Windows Phone

Here comes Windows Phone fragmentation: Nokia Lumia-only apps

The Verge reports that Nokia’s Lumia phone will get their own app section in the Windows Phone marketplace. While this is not a first, HTC and other firms have apps only available for their phones, most of those apps fall into the interesting but not “must have” category. However, if Nokia’s Lumia because the flagship for Windows Phone and Nokia produces truly must have apps, we’re going to see the tiny Windows Phone market fragmented and shattered. This is not a good way to build a market for a platform far behind the leaders.

Nokia Windows Phones reportedly receiving ‘Nokia Collection’ Marketplace section

Spider Jack for Windows Phone: What’s wrong with this game?

Spider Jack for Windows Phone is a $2.99 game under the Xbox Live imprint in the Windows Phone Marketplace. The game was previously released for the iPhone (99 cents there) and Android (also 99 cents). It is one of those games that would seem to have the right components to be entertaining. And, yet, it just didn’t come together for me. Here’s what I found…
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Installing PhoneGap & Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone

Phonegap’s Jesse MacFadyen posted some great news and good info for web developers who want to build for Windows Phone. Be sure to watch the video embedded in the blog entry for installation information. The problem is that the video is the only clear source of information because Jesse’s blog item…

PhoneGap for Windows Phone Dissected

more or less points back to the PhoneGap blog item…

PhoneGap for Windows Phone: Getting Started

which in turn points back to Jesse’s blog item. The problem is compounded because, as Jesse points out in his blog, the PhoneGap download link currently points to an older release [Note the download link pointed to a version 1.3 when I checked but it appeared to be a different release from the one on github]. The current release is on github. So, here’s a list of links that gets you the downloads.
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[Video] Mini-review: Doodle God for Windows Phone

Doodle God for Windows Phone is a logic puzzle game that I consider to be in the casual game category. You can spend as little or as much time as you like and get entertainment for whatever time is spent. The game starts with four basic elements that are combined to create new ones. One goal is to create all 135 elements (really “compounds”) possible. Not all compounds are intuitive. For example, combining “life” and “ash” creates a “ghost”.

In addition to the main game play mode, Doodle God has minigames and quests. And, like other Xbox Live games, it has achievements and leaderboards.

Doodle God is priced at $2.99.

Disclosure: Microsoft provided the game free of charge for evaluation purposes.

Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone can be used as a limited controller

The XBox Live app for iOS still doesn’t work on my devices. But, the Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone finally became available (after the iOS version) and does work.

And, it does a lot more than the iOS version. The Xbox app for iOS deals with messages, shows achievements and manages the avatar. The Windows Phone version requires that the Xbox be on at the same time and can be used as a adjunct limited controller. You can, for example, navigate around the Xbox and launch a game. Once in the game (Fusion:Origins in my case), the controller function did not work or did not have enough buttons (no “Start” for example) to be useful. It can also provide details about games, music, TV shows and movies playing on the Xbox.