Daniel Rubino is executive editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft since 2009 back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Surface, HoloLens, Xbox, and future computing visions. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.
In a rapid fire week, Microsoft, via Brandon Watson, have contacted the developers of the unlocking tool ChevronWP7. Instead of filing a cease and desist or making other legal threats, Microsoft instead did the right thing: opened discussions with them, specifically about the strong desire for a homebrew community. While MS has been extremely supportive of professional developers, the...
Well, that was fast. Looks like you can now download the ChevronWP7 custom ringtone manager--the first homebrew app for Windows Phone 7. The program is a .XAP (pronounced "zap") file and can be deployed using the Microsoft “Application Deployment” tool with the Windows Phone 7 Developer SDK. To use the app, you basically build a custom .XAP file with up to 5 ringers on board and then "...
In a sort of follow up to our earlier story, about how MMS does not work if you switch SIM cards on some unlocked Windows Phones, Samsung responded in a Tweet on their policy. Evidently, they say their phones are configured to work on a specfic networks and only those networks. So if you buy an unlocked/unsubsidized Samsung phone from some carrier, don't expect it to work on other...
![Ringtone loader coming tomorrow for Windows Phone 7 [Hack]](https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/resource_images/ringtone.PNG?itok=7hALwm9k)
Chris Walsh and co. are getting very close to releasing the very first side-loaded homebrew app for Windows Phone 7: ringtone loader. That should come to many as a worthy installation, even if the rumored update from Microsoft will contain such functionality. Not much is known at this time about what it can/can't do, but we imagine creating ringtones from your Zune library will be the...
This is one of those weird games that when you see it, you think "looks silly, no interest". Trust me, I know the feeling. All I can say is Birdy Bounce ($0.99) is really addictive and a lot of fun, even though your brain won't understand why. It's just simple, has great graphics and a great drop noise. To keep from getting repetitive the studio (Mod Monkeys) states: The levels of...
Ilomilio is one of those great games (seriously, see our comprehensive review) that unfortunately AT&T grabbed a three-month exclusive on--well it's great if you're on AT&T but bad for the rest of the world. Looks like in January, the game will finally roll out to all in the Marketplace, regardless of territory. That should be welcome news to many who are missing out on one of...
![Dell Venue Pro available on December 14th for $150? [Update: You can order 16GB now as well]](https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/resource_images/dellVP.PNG?itok=dEiMxs3t)
Update: Now the 16gb version is available for $149.99 on contract with free 2nd Day Shipping if ordered by December 2nd. (Thanks breadbooze and Jose P for the tip!) Update: Well looky here, if you follow THIS LINK, you can order the 8GB version for $99 on contract right now. Not bad. (Thanks, Sam S., for the info!) The Venue Pro may make it for Christmas after all. We have to leave this...
It's been rumored and speculated in the past that Acer was going to start playing with Windows Phone 7 and that looks to be confirmed now. In an interview with Mobilized, Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci detailed their plans and reasoning behind the move: We saw a lot of limitations on Windows Phone a couple of years ago and we moved to Android because of user experience, and even the...
According to a tweet by @windowsphone, if you've purchased a Windows Phone from AT&T within the past thirty days, you may qualify for their "Buy One Get One" free offer. The offer includes the Samsung Focus, LG Quantum, and HTC Surround. Remember, the offer requires a two-year service agreement and a minimum $15 data plan per phone. Just check with your local AT&T Retailer to...
There's little debate whether or not the Super-AMOLED screen on the Samsung Focus is nice. The 4" screen looks good and is very receptive to the touch. While the screen gets high marks, we are hearing rumblings that there may be a glitch with the touch sensativity. It seems that if you lay the Focus down on a cushioned surface (e.g. a couch) the responsiveness of the screen goes from...
Only announced in September, Microsoft has kept true to their word and released the Visual Basic programming to for Windows Phone 7, allowing an even larger number of developers to jump in on the platform. Using these tools, developers can now have multiple means to writing code for WP7 and even more importantly, can start today. One limitation though is developers can only use it for...
Get 10% off all Windows Phone and Windows Mobile Accessories in the WPCentral Store with the Cyber Monday sale! Simply head on over to the store, select your Windows Phone, and then get shopping. On checkout, use coupon code WP1129 to automatically get 10% off your purchase. The offer is good now through midnight PST on Tuesday, November 30th. [sponsored post] Shop for Windows Phone...
We get a lot of questions here at WPCentral regarding transitioning your data or media from one service to another. One common question is about iTunes and compatibility. While you can use the Windows Phone 7 Connextor tool to help in that area, one alternative is the open source iTunes Export program by Eric Daugherty. The app is either command line or has a GUI version (requires Adobe...
We've been covering the rumored software update for Windows Phone 7 for sometime now, even having our forum members add some info to the mix. So far, the update is suppose to have the following features: Bing turn-by-turn directions, improvements Custom ringer support Copy/Paste Multi-tasking (of some form) We have a feeling that's just the beginning, as Chris Walsh, known for his...
A few sites have sprung up of late offering an easy web-view of the Windows Phone Marketplace. Such was the case with MarketplaceBrowser, which indexed and gave quick links to all the software in the app store. Now a new one has launched called WP7AppList and it looks to be a little more full featured as it includes price-drops and interesting stats e.g. who knew that 29% of the apps...
While we took a look at Browser Plus a few weeks ago, the add-on to Mobile Internet Explorer that gave us tabbed browsing, a new contender has come forth to offer some similar and unique features. Browse On goes for $0.99 in the Marketplace and it's biggest selling point would be the ability to open a new Tab in Landscape and type in the web address directly. That's because in normal...
While the official Twitter and Seesmic apps get all the press, this little program has snuck by a lot of people. It's free, just like the others, but offers some unique features like counters and very smooth scrolling. The app is quite fast with an intuitive layout, making it one of our favorite Twitter apps out there. Next week, the developer is planning to release a new version...
AT&T isn't the only one offering a BOGO sale on Black Friday. T-Mobile has joined the fun by offering a "buy one, get one free" on select smartphones. The good news for Windows Phone fans is that the HTC HD7 is included on the list. The BOGO offer is for new and existing customers (those eligible for upgrade) who sign up for a T-Mobile family plan with a two-year agreement and...
SPB Software is no stranger to Windows Phone users--their Mobile Shell became one of the most used UI replacements for Windows Mobile history. So of course it's no surprise that many of us are wondering what their status is in regards to Windows Phone 7? With Mobile Shell, Wallet, Time and TV they have a nice catalog and who knows what they could create for WP7. Well, as you can...
A few days ago we broke the news about the Genuine Software checker for Windows Phone 7. To recap, the system would check the OS against the hardware using PVK (private keys)--if no match occurred, then the OS would be crippled (no cloud services). Now DFT, the team behind the attempted Windows Phone 7-to-HD2 port, have come forward and said that indeed, this is the case. The result, as...