This week we learned the official launch date of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for Windows 10 Mobile, picked up some new Fast Ring builds, lost a few services, gained some others, and much more.
Welcome to our weekly roundup of Windows Mobile news.
Windows 10 Mobile
The biggest news of the week is the official announcement of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which arrives on August 2nd. Windows Insider program leader Dona Sarkar confirmed the news on twitter, stating that the update for PCs and Windows 10 Mobile will hit simultaneously.
Windows 10 Mobile has been steadily improving as part of the Insider Fast Ring, which began launching release candidate builds this week with the arrival of build 14383. Our own Zac Bowden reported earlier this week that the Anniversary Update is pretty much completed as far as features and improvements go, with further improvements set to hit Fast Ring Windows Insiders over the next few weeks to help finalize the launch build.
As far as phones are concerned, the Lumia 550 picked up a price cut in the UK and Ireland, dropping to £80 and €100 respectively. NuAns NEO's Kickstarter campaign crossed $100,000 pledged and still has 31 days to hit its $725,000 goal to bring its unique customizable Windows 10 Mobile device to markets beyond Japan.
HP are producing a range of accessories for its upcoming super-charged Windows 10 Mobile HP Elite x3, including a passive stylus. Passive styluses differ from active styluses in the sense they don't interact with the screen electronically, they just grant more control in drawing applications than finger-based touch inputs might. The HP Elite x3 will also be available with a range of screen protectors, cases, and a wireless charging base. Oh, it'll come in a gold variant too, for some extra bling.
Further Reading on W10M News
- Windows 10 Anniversary Update will also hit mobile on August 2
- Microsoft begins sign-off process for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update
- The HP Elite x3 will support a passive stylus and other optional accessories
Apps
CNN began the process to shutter its own app, which will go dark on July 18th. The app hasn't been updated for quite a while, but to lose a prominent service is a significant blow. Hopefully, CNN will reconsider the platform with UWP, given that the Windows 10 device family now boasts an install base in the hundreds of millions.
It's not all doom and gloom, though, as third party Sonos app Zonos picked up a solid update, bringing Cortana voice control to the party. Additionally, Video 360 picked up support for 360 photographs, in addition to general bug fixes.
We also featured a cool app for keeping tabs on your battery usage called Battery X, which has a gorgeous UI, an impressive array of features and notifications for those moments your battery life might be slipping. Check out George Ponder's detailed look over here.
The official Microsoft Photos app picked up a couple of tweaks, adding a transitional animation and a dedicated slideshow button. Finally, our own Windows Central app received a couple of bug fixes.
Further Reading on W10M Apps
- Keep tabs on your Windows 10 Mobile power status with Battery X
- CNN is retiring its Windows Phone app on July 18
- PayPal may be working on a Windows 10 Mobile app
- Third-party Sonos app Zonos for Windows 10 adds Cortana support and more
- Microsoft Photos grabs new Slideshow button and fancy animation for Insiders
- New Windows Central App update delivers more reliable Live Tiles, stability
Games
This week in Windows 10 Mobile games we put the spotlight on an interesting MyAppFree deal with Tales of the Orient, a match-3 game with the twist of building an ancient Japanese village. We also featured Spellspire, an intriguing word puzzle game with RPG elements from the creators of Crimsonland, 10Tons.
Asphalt 8: Airborne received a hefty update, picking up various new features:
- NEW CARS: The Mercedes-AMG GT3, Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7, nanoFlowcell QUANT FE and other sports cars will progressively make their appearance on the starting line. Follow us at www.facebook.com/AsphaltGame to be the first to know about their release and more!
- ENDURO DOUBLE DOWN: Prove you can withstand till the very end in an ever-changing, tough, daring challenge. Double or nothing is the way to go! Risk your progress in order to win BIG!
- DAILY TASKS: Missing some credits or tokens to buy your dream car?! Complete the daily tasks to stack up rewards!
- R&D Series: Push the Mercedes-AMG C-Coupe Touring Car 2014 to its limits & get a chance to make it yours!
Finally, Hitman GO, the popular puzzle game based on the Hitman universe is currently on sale for $0.99 until July 11th, check it out!
Further Reading on W10M Games
- Solve the puzzle and build a village with Tales of the Orient
- Spellspire, a Windows 10 Mobile mashup of word games and role-playing adventures
- Hitman GO dips to just $0.99 on the Windows Store
- Asphalt 8: Airborne offers new cars, daily tasks, and more
- Flip + Pirate Factory for Windows 10 Mobile, solve crazy puzzles and build robots
The future's looking bright
We might've lost PayPal and CNN recently, but with Windows 10 Mobile gaining more and more polish every week in the Fast Ring, Microsoft seems to be preparing the OS for a big push in 2017. The Universal Windows Platform already has a few success stories under its belt, with decent apps from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter making their way to the platform. Hopefully, there'll be more positive news moving forward!
