Windows 10 Mobile's launch date for the Anniversary Update is announced, the Lumia 640's days of cheap availability is behind it, and double-tap to wake is finally making its way to the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.
This is all the week's news dealing with Windows 10 Mobile!
Windows
The Lumia 640's shelf life may be close to expiring, as the phone is in short supply in the U.S. Currently, the only carrier you can get it from is Cricket Wireless, at the rock-bottom price of $29.99.
But a couple of older phones seem to have had a resurgence of sorts since they were added to the Windows 10 upgrade list. The Lumia 1520 is on sale again at AT&T for $584.99 outright, while Groupon was listing Verizon's Lumia Icon for an astoundingly low $99.
Microsoft officially announced that the Windows 10 Anniversary Update would also hit mobile devices August 2, the same day it rolls out for PCs and tablets.
We also learned that the Anniversary update will arrive without the previously-announced Messaging Everywhere feature. Microsoft has decided to rethink their approach and will now include it as part of a revamped Skype app to come sometime later.
While we wait for August 2 to come, Fast Ring Insiders got one step closer to the big update with Windows 10 preview build 14379 with improvements to the Store, Windows Hello, and more.
Insiders in the Release Preview ring received build 10586.456, which delivered a whole lot of fixes.
And users around the globe are reporting seeing "Double-tap to Wake" appearing in their Windows Device Recovery for Lumias. It looks like Microsoft may be preparing to roll the feature out soon, so the only thing we can do is just be patient.
Other notable items:
- NexDock shipments delayed by fire in manufacturing facility
- PSA: Free Office 365 offer with Lumia 950 or 950 XL purchase ends June 30
- Help, my wife wants to switch from Windows phone to Android!
- How to join the Windows Insider Program
- NuAns NEO is now on Kickstarter to let you fully customize your Windows phone
Apps
Wells Fargo launched its new Windows 10 Mobile app, giving you access to your bank, credit card, and brokerage accounts.
The beta version of Microsoft's Authenticator app expanded its capabilities with support for Facebook and Google accounts.
An official Steam app for Windows mobile devices made a surprise appearance in the Windows Store. The story of the Valve app is a happy tale of a fan's efforts paying off. Seeing what a great job he had done on his own, Valve recruited Thomas Cheyney, the developer of the Unofficial Steam Authenticator, to build their own app.
Facebook Messenger got a major update, giving it a makeover and turning it into a native Windows 10 Mobile app. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Facebook Beta for Windows 10 Mobile was throwing errors telling users that they need to uninstall it. Perhaps this was Microsoft passing the torch to the app developed by Facebook themselves.
Amazon informed Windows Phone users that their app will be retired on July 25. The company has not shared any plans to create one for Windows 10, despite their continued support for their Audible audio books app.
PayPal, who also discontinued Windows Phone app, may be working on a Windows 10 Mobile app, though the company has not confirmed anything.
And the saga of the Starbucks Windows 10 app continues. After missing the previous release dates set by the company itself, Starbucks' digital head Adam Brotman said that the app is in "final testing" and could launch "in the next few weeks." Only time will tell.
Other notable items:
- Write to your heart's delight with Nextpad for Windows 10 PC and Mobile
- Tweet It! adds way to send long text as chained tweets with latest update
- Chill out with Zen: Coloring Book for Adults on Windows 10
- Outlook Groups adds calendar events support with latest update
- Quotey, an abundance of memorable citations delivered to your Windows 10 device
- Fanband and Cortanium for Windows 10 Mobile get new updates
- MSN News now lets everyone customize their media sources
- Microsoft shows how developers can add HDR image features in Windows 10 camera apps
- WhatsApp for Windows Phone gains quoted message support, tweaked UI in new update
- Star Walk 2 brings virtual stargazing to Windows 10 PC and Mobile
- Groove Music update for Fast ring Insiders makes 'Your Groove' more colorful
- ProShot creators offer a peek at what's in store for the Windows 10 camera app
Games
Games
It was a slow week in mobile gaming news, but we did take a look at To The Castle for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile.
It's a retro-styled arcade game that offers a couple of different play modes, along with the ability to create your own levels and share them with other players.
Other notable items:
Be sure to weigh in on this week's news in the comments section. See you next week!
