Samsung Galaxy S III

The Samsung Galaxy S III (GT-i9300) is an Android smartphone that was announced by Samsung on 3 May 2012 in London.It is the successor to the Samsung Galaxy S II. The device will be released in Europe on 29 May 2012, and in the US and India in June.

Details

It will be available in two colour options—marble white and pebble blue—along with numerous new software features and hardware accessories. These include Smart Stay (the screen remains on when the user looks at the screen, otherwise it sleeps), Direct Call (which allows the user to call a person whose text message is currently on screen simply by raising the phone to the ear), Pop Up Play (allows a video and other activities to occupy the screen at the same time), S Voice, Buddy Photo Sharing, Allcast Share Dongle, Group Cast (documents collaboration), wireless charging, S Pebble MP3 player, dock/charger, C-Pen, slimline case, and car mount. The phone comes in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB variants, and an additional 50 GB of space is offered on the Dropbox service for purchasers of the device for two years, doubling rival HTC's 25 GB storage for the same duration.

The international version has Samsung's Exynos 4 Quad system on a chip containing a 1.4 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and an ARM Mali-400 MP GPU. However, the US version is expected to use Qualcomm’s dual-core Snapdragon S4 SoC to support LTE functionality. Dimensions of the device are 136.6 × 70.6 × 8.6 mm and weighs at 133 grams with a 2100 mAh lithium-ion battery. The glass used for the display on the Galaxy S III is CorningGorilla Glass 2.

The Galaxy S III is the official device of the 2012 Summer Olympics. A special edition of the phone equipped with the Visa payWave mobile payment application is to be distributed to athletes and trialists sponsored by Samsung and Visa.

PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Portable  (Pureisutēshon Pōrutaburu officially abbreviated PSP) is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation.Development of the console was announced during E3 2003,and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in the PAL region onSeptember 1, 2005.

The PlayStation Portable is the only handheld video game console to use an optical disc format, Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its primary storage medium. Other distinguishing features of the console include its large viewing screen, robust multi-media capabilities, and connectivity with the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, other PSPs and the Internet.

After the release of a slimmer, lighter, remodeled version of the PlayStation Portable (the PSP-2000/"Slim & Lite") in early September 2007, sales quadrupled in the United Kingdom the following week and increased by nearly 200% in North America for the month of October. This model was later replaced by another remodeling, the PSP-3000, which included a new screen and an inbuilt microphone. Since then, a complete redesign called the PSP Go has been released, which was sold alongside the PSP-3000. In 2011 a budget model, the PSP-E1000, was released. The PSP line was succeeded by the PlayStation Vita, released in December 2011 in Japan, and in February 2012 in North America, Europe and Australia, respectively.

History

Sony first announced development of the PlayStation Portable at a press conference before E3 2003.Although mock-ups of the system were not present at the press conference or E3,Sony did release extensive technical details regarding the new system.Then-CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Jose Villeta called the device the "Walkman of the 21st Century" in a reference to the console's multimedia capabilities. Several gaming websites were impressed by the handheld's computing capabilities and looked forward to the system's potential as a gaming platform.

The first concept images of the PSP appeared in November 2002 at the Sony Corporate Strategy Meeting and showed a PSP with flat buttons and no analog stick. Although some expressed concern over the lack of an analog joystick,these fears were allayed when the PSP was officially unveiled at the Sony press conference during E3 2004. In addition to announcing more details about the system and its accessories,Sony also released a list of 99 developer companies that had pledged support for the new handheld. Several PSP game demos, such as Konami's Metal Gear Acid and SCE Studio Liverpool's Wipeout Pure were also shown at the conference.

Launch                                                            

Main article: PlayStation Portable launch

On October 17, 2004, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in Japan on December 12, 2004, at a price of ¥19,800 (about US$181 in 2004) for the base model and ¥24,800 (about US$226 in 2004) for the Value System. The console's launch was a success with over 200,000 units sold the first day.Different color variations were also sold in bundle packs, which cost more than usual, around $200. Sony announced on February 3, 2005, that the PSP would go on sale in North America on March 24, 2005, in one configuration for a MSRP of US$249/CA$299. Some expressed concern over the high price, which was almost US$20 higher than the system's price in Japan and more than $100 higher than the recently launched Nintendo DS. Despite the concerns, the PSP's North American launch was a success,although reports two weeks later indicated that the system was not selling as well as expected despite Sony's claim that 500,000 units had been sold in the first two days.

The PSP was originally to have a simultaneous PAL region and North American launch, but on March 15, 2005, Sony announced that the PAL region launch would be delayed because of high demand for the console in Japan and North America. A month later, on April 25, 2005, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in the PAL region on September 1, 2005, for €249/£179. Sony defended the high price, which was nearly US$100 higher than in North America, by pointing out that North American consumers had to pay local sales taxes and that the VAT (sales tax) was higher in the UK than the US. Despite the high price, the console's PAL region launch was a resounding success, selling more than 185,000 units in the UK alone, selling out of all stock nationwide in the UK within three hours of launch, more than doubling the previous first-day sales record of 87,000 units set by the Nintendo DS. The system also enjoyed great success in other areas of the PAL region with more than 25,000 units preordered in Australia and nearly one million units sold across Europe in the first week.

PSP Go

PSP Go

The PSP Go was revealed on May 30, 2009, in the June episode of the PlayStation Network online magazine Qore and was later officially announced on June 2, 2009, at E3 2009. The PSP Go features Bluetooth functionality, a smaller 3.8-inch (97 mm) screen and weighs 43% less than the original PSP. Instead of the UMD drive as found on previous models, the PSP Go has 16 GB of internal flash memory and a Memory Stick Micro port that accepts cards up to 16 GB. Currently, the PSP Go has a max memory of 32 GB, but the M2 memory can be increased in firmware updates. Games must be downloaded from the PlayStation Store. The sliding mechanism on the screen hides the main face buttons and the analog 'nub' when not in use. With the release of the PSP Go, most future PSP games will also receive a PlayStation Store release, whereas only a handful of games were available before.

Sony announced in April 2011 that it would stop production of the PSP Go to focus resources on developing the PlayStation Vita (then known as the NGP). Shortly after, SCEA clarified that the PSP Go would still be produced for the North American market.

PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita or simply the PS Vita is a handheld game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the successor to the PlayStation Portable as part of the PlayStation family of gaming devices.

The device includes two analog sticks, a 5-inch (130 mm) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. Internally, the device features a quad core ARM Cortex-A9 core processor and a quad core PowerVR SGX543MP4+ graphics processing unit as well asLiveArea as its main user interface, which succeeds the XrossMediaBar for the PlayStation Portable.

The device features full backwards compatibility with all PlayStation Portable games digitally released on the PlayStation Network, via PlayStation Store, the device's dual analog sticks will be supported in only select games. The device will upscale and smooth the graphics of the PSP games via the software emulator for the device.

PSP-E1000

PSP-E1000

Announced at Gamescom 2011, the PSP-E1000 is a budget-focused model of the PSP which became available across the PAL region on October 26, 2011 for an RRP of €99.99. Unlike previous PSP models, the E1000 does not feature Wi-Fi capabilities and has a matte "charcoal black" finish similar to the slim PlayStation 3.Also, it only features a mono speaker instead of the previous models' stereo speakers and does not feature microphone.

Jailbreak PS3 4.11

 Jailbreak PS3 4.11

I will show you how to Jailbreak PS3 4.11. I will guide you through small steps to jailbreak your PS3 4.11.

Once you learn how to jailbreak ps3 4.11 please do not forget to share with people who needs to know how to do this and remind them to share this site. I hope that everything I can give it at your satisfaction. With no longer wait, let’s begin and learn how to jailbreak ps3 4.11

With Jailbreak you can host a challenge lobby for modern warfare 2, with this you can cheat all your way up to the achievements and more!

There are different ways to jailbreak PS3 4.11

Feed its live, It will automatically update every 24 hours for any patch
JB Status:

Lets Jailbreak PS3 4.11 and how can it be used to:

STEP 1: Plug a USB stick into your computer
STEP 2: Create a folder in the root of the USB stick called PS3
STEP 3: Create a folder inside the PS3 folder called UPDATE
STEP 4: Download PS3 PUP Updated
STEP 5: Run Downloader and start downloading PS3UPDAT.PUP file which will be downloaded on your desktop
STEP 6: Move PS3UPDAT.PUP to the directory UPDATE that you just created on the USB stick
STEP 7: Plug the USB stick into your PS3
STEP 8: Navigate to Settings Tab
STEP 9: Choose System Update
STEP 10: Choose Update via Storage Media
STEP 11: It will say it found Version 4.11-jb
STEP 12: Choose OK
STEP 13: Accept Conditions and Install Update
STEP 14: After less than a minute, your PS3 will update, beep 4 times then shut down.
STEP 15: Power up your PS3 (You will have to do it on the console and not by the controller)
STEP 16: Your PS3 is now jailbroken!

Play Station 3

PlayStation 3 este o consolă de jocuri lansată de Sony în Japonia în 11 noiembrie 2006. Sistemul a fost lansat în America de Nord vineri 17 noiembrie. În România, PlayStation 3 a fost lansat în data de 24 martie 2007, la un preț de aproximativ 600 de euro.[1]. Urmează PlayStation 2 și este a treia consolă de jocuri al lui Sony. Lansările din Japonia, SUA și Canada s-a dovedit un succes, toate unitățile fiind vândute în câteva ore.[2]. Sony a folosit peste 1 miliard de dolari pentru campania de promovare pentru lansarea sistemului. În premieră, Sony a introdus un controller wireless, cu baterii reîncărcabile, fără cabluri, numit Sixaxis. Playstation 3 se mai livrează și cu controller de tip DualShock 3 (numai versiunea de 80 GB).[3]. De la lansare și până la sfârșitul verii lui 2010, consola fusese cumpărată în 36 de milioane de unități[4].

Variante

Există 7 variante de PS3: 20 GB NTSC; 40 GB PAL/NTSC; 60 GB NTSC; 60 GB PAL, 80 GB NTSC/PAL, 160 GB NTSC/PAL. Acum sunt pe piata variantele Slim, de 120 GB, 160 GB și 250 GB, si 320 GB PAL/NTSC
Jocuri

Sony a promis 20 de jocuri pentru PlayStation 3 până la sfârșitul anului 2006, dintre care:[5], Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk's Project 8,Ridge Racer 7și F.E.A.R.Este de asemenea compatibil cu jocurile pentru PlayStation 2 și PlayStation, însă s-a confruntat cu probleme tehnice în această privință, unele jocuri mergând de exemplu fără sunet. Cel mai bun dintre jocuri este considerat Grand Theft Auto 4, din care pentru PS3 s-au vândut peste 10 milioane de bucăți. Chiar din prima săptămână s-au vândut aproape 1 milion de exemplare.[6].
check: www.worldinevolution.com && www.googleschoolar.blogspot.com

Xbox 360

Xbox 360 este o consolă de jocuri, a doua produsă de corporația Microsoft, lansată pe 22 noiembrie, 2005, în SUA. Sistemul a fost lansat ulterior și în Europa, pe 2 decembrie, respectiv în Japonia, pe 10 decembrie. A fost prima consolă din așa-numita "de generație următoare" lansată, fiind de altfel succesoarea consolei Xbox. La sfârșitul anului 2006 însă, competitori precum PlayStation 3 și Nintendo Wii au sosit pe piață cu produse competitiv similare. Până în ianuarie 2011, au fost vândute peste 50 de milioane de console Xbox. 360.[1][2] Funcțiile suplimentare ale consolei sunt la această oră: Ascultare muzica de pe suport media intern(HDD, opțional)/extern (memory stick USB) și streaming de pe un PC conectat direct, Vizualizare poze direct din camera conectată, suport media intern/extern sau PC și Vizualizare conținut de înaltă definiție, adică filme sau TV prin streaming de pe un calculator cu Media Center.[3].În afară de acestea există și alte capabilități a consolei ca și:Xbox Live,Netflix și vizualizarea ESPN sau SkyGo, dar aceste funcții nu sunt valabile în România. Microsoft a anunțat în 2010 la E3 a doua versiune a consolei.Ea este mai subtire, dispune de Wi-Fi, 5 porturi USB în locul celor 3 ale versiunilor ulterioare. După apariția Xbox360-urilor Slim producția celor vechi este discontinuată. Prima consolă Slim a debutat cu un HDD de 250GB, iar după aceea a apărut un model mai ieftin, echipat cu un Hard Disk de 4GB.



 Istoric

În timpul dezvoltării, consola a trecut prin multe modificări de nume:Xbox Next, Xenon, Xbox 2, Xbox FS sau NextBox. Numele știut din zilele noastre a fost conceput de Microsoft în 2003. În februarie 2003 inginerii au început programarea pentru sistemul Xenon. În august 2003 ATI a semnat contractul cu Microsoft, pentru conceperea placii grafice. Înaintea lansării consolei au debutat versiuni Alpha, pentru studiourile de jocuri.Consola a fost lansată în data de 2 decembrie 2005 în Europa. În primul an consola a debutat în 36 de țări, astfel a întrecut toate consolele în această categorie.
 Configurații discontinuate

Trei modele de Xbox 360

În prima lună au apărut două modele a consolei, una cu un Hard Disk de 20GB(neoficial și cu numele de Xbox 360 Pro sau Premium 20GB), și una mai slabă la accesorii cu nume Core(ea a apărut fără HDD și cu manetă "Wired")Între timp a apărut consola Xbox360 Elite.În octombrie 2007 a apărut consola Xbox360 Arcade care a schimbat vechiul model Core, iar în 1 August 2008 a apărut un model numit Pro 60GB(echipat cu un HDD de 60GB).În 2009 pachetele Pro au fost discontinuuate, astfel scăzând prețul consolelor.În 2010 consolele Elite si Arcade rămase încă pe piață au fost schimbate de noile modele Slim.
Configurații curente

250 GB Xbox 360 S console

Noile console redesignate, numite Slim, au fost prezentate în Iunie 2010 la conferința E3.Noile console au apărut cu noua placa de bază numită „Vallhala”.Aceste plăci de bază au contribuit foarte mult la îmbunătățirea Xbox-ului față de versiunile anterioare, astfel făcând consola mai mică și mai puțin zgomotasă.Ele dețin 5 porturi USB, în locul celor 3 vechi, si un port special pentru Kinect.În comparație cu cele vechi, noile versiuni au Wi-Fi și în locul celor doua ventilatoare mici, deține unul mare.În noile versiuni HDD-urile sunt în mai mare siguranță, fiind puse sub un capac.Cele noi au apărut în două versiuni principale, unul cu HDD de 250GB, iar celălalt cu HDD intern de 4GB.
 Kinect


Kinect este un dispozitiv periferic, care le permite utilizatorilor să se folosească de consola Xbox 360 fără ajutorul unui controller fizic, ci doar folosind gesturi ale corpului și comenzi vocale.A fost anunțat la E3, în data de 01.Iunie.2009, ca Project Natal.Este valabil pentru toate versiunile Xbox360, cele noi având conector special, iar pentru cele vechi cu USB. Din octombrie 2011 se vinde si in magazinele din Romania.

Windows Phone 7

Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform,[1] although incompatible with it.[2] Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market.[3] It was launched in Europe, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, Mexico, and the EPAL region in the second half of 2010, and Asia in early 2011.[4] With Windows Phone, Microsoft offers a new user interface with its design language, Metro, integrates the operating system with third party and other Microsoft services, and set minimum requirements to the hardware on which it runs.[5]



History
 Development

Timeline of Windows Phone related events

Work on a major Windows Mobile update may have begun as early as 2004 under the codename "Photon", but work moved slowly and the project was ultimately cancelled.[6] In 2008, Microsoft reorganized the Windows Mobile group and started work on a new mobile operating system.[7] The product was to be released in 2009 as Windows Phone, but several delays prompted Microsoft to develop Windows Mobile 6.5 as an interim release.[8]

Windows Phone was developed quickly. One result was that Windows Mobile applications do not run on it. Larry Lieberman, senior product manager for Microsoft's Mobile Developer Experience, told eWeek: "If we'd had more time and resources, we may have been able to do something in terms of backward compatibility."[9] Lieberman said that Microsoft was attempting to look at the mobile phone market in a new way, with the end user in mind as well as the enterprise network.[9] Terry Myerson, corporate VP of Windows Phone engineering, said, "With the move to capacitive touch screens, away from the stylus, and the moves to some of the hardware choices we made for the Windows Phone 7 experience, we had to break application compatibility with Windows Mobile 6.5."[10]
 Naming

The name 'Windows Phone' is used because Microsoft's old mobile OS called 'Windows Mobile' has been replaced by an all new mobile operating system. Before the official announcement of 'Windows Phone 7', Microsoft began to refer to devices running Windows Mobile as "Windows Phones". Microsoft at first announced its new platform as "Windows Phone 7 Series" which initially came under criticism as being too wordy and difficult to say casually. Responding to this, on April 2, 2010 Microsoft announced that the "Series" would be dropped from the name, leaving the platform named Windows Phone 7.[11] The official statement on the matter was:


"Customers want a simpler way to say and use the name consistently. The important thing is keeping the focus on the Windows Phone brand, which we introduced in October and will continue investing in through Windows Phone 7 and beyond."
Launch

In February 2010, a Microsoft press release listed the companies that would help make and operate Windows Phone. Many hardware makers were listed in the release.

Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone on February 15, 2010, at Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona[12] and revealed additional details at MIX 2010 on March 15, 2010. The final SDK was made available on September 16, 2010.[13]

HP later decided not to build devices for Windows Phone, citing that it wanted to focus on devices for its newly purchased webOS.[14]

Windows Phone supports twenty-five languages and Windows Phone Marketplace allows buying and selling applications in 35 countries and regions.[15]
Partnership
Launch partners

On October 11, 2010, Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer announced 10 devices operating Windows Phone, made by HTC, Dell, Samsung, and LG, with sales beginning on October 21, 2010 in Europe and Australia and November 8, 2010 in the United States. The devices were available on 60 carriers in 30 countries, with additional devices to be launched in 2011.[16]
Partnership with Nokia

On 11 February 2011, at a press event in London, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced a partnership between their companies in which Windows Phone would become the primary smartphone operating system for Nokia.[17] The event was largely focused on creating "a new global mobile ecosystem", suggesting competition with Android and iOS by saying "It is now a three horse race". Integration of Microsoft services with Nokia's own services were announced; specifically that Bing would power search across Nokia devices, and an integration of Nokia Maps with Bing Maps, as well as Nokia's Ovi store being integrated with the Windows Phone Marketplace.[17] The partnership involves "funds changing hands for royalties, marketing and ad-revenue sharing", which Microsoft later announced was, "measured in billions of dollars."[18] The first Nokia Windows phones, the Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710, were announced in October 2011 at Nokia World 2011 event.[19][20] At the Consumer Electronics Show in 2012 Nokia announced the Lumia 900, featuring a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display, a 1.4 GHz processor and 16GB of memory.[21] The Lumia 900 was one of the first Windows Phones to support LTE and was released on AT&T on April 8th.[22] An international version will launch in Q2 2012, with a UK launch expected in May.[23]. The Nokia Lumia 610 is the first Nokia Windows Phone to run the Tango Variant (Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh) and is aimed at emerging markets.
[edit] Other OEM partners

Microsoft, on May 25, 2011, has announced expansion of partners who plan to release Windows Phone. Acer, Fujitsu, and ZTE, in addition to Nokia, released their first Windows Phones based on the first major upgrade to Windows Phone platform.[24]
Version history
7.0.7004 initial version of the Windows Phone 7 OS
7.0.7008 improve update process for future update
7.0.7390 "NoDo" added CDMA support, Copy and Paste, fast application startup, and deeper Facebook Integration
7.0.7392 revoke of fraudulent certificates
7.0.7403 intermediate update required for updating to Mango
7.10.7720 "Windows Phone 7.5" codename "Mango" announced in the February 2011 Mobile World Congress. Steve Ballmer announced a major update to Windows Phone 7 due toward the end of the year,[25] and unveiled features including a mobile version of Internet Explorer 9 that supports the same web standards and graphical capability as the desktop version,[26] Twitter integration for the People Hub,[27][28] multi-tasking of third-party apps[29] by suspending and freezing the active task while switching to the active task in view, and Windows Live SkyDrive access.[30]
7.10.7740 fixed email issue in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and voicemail notification issue.[31]
7.10.8107 added LTE support and fixed keyboard disappearing bug and location access issue, among other bugfixes.[32]
7.10.8112 Initial release for AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 & HTC Titan II
7.10.8773 "Tango" also called "Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh", added Better media messaging, Location awareness icon[33], Export and manage contacts to SIM card and support for low-cost devices with 256 MB RAM and low clock CPU. [34]
Future updates
 Windows Phone "Tango"

Tango will be a minor update, planned to be released in April 2012.[35] It will enable Windows Phone to run on low-cost devices with 256 MB RAM and low clock CPU.

Also confirmed are 23 additional markets[36] including; Bahrain, Bulgaria, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, Venezuela and Vietnam. This update will also include a Skype application (currently in Beta). The Nokia Lumia 610 and ZTE Orbit,[37] introduced at Mobile World Congress in 2012, are the first phones to run the Tango update.

This update has now been officially named "7.5 Refresh" as of March 2012.[38]
Windows Phone "Apollo"

Apollo is the codename for the next generation of Windows Phone, as officially confirmed by MS at an MSDN seminar in August 2011. This update is also confirmed by Nokia and HTC. The expected release date for this update is in Q4 2012. It has now been strongly rumored that current Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh devices will not be able to upgrade to Windows Phone Apollo[39].

List of features coming in Apollo, not yet confirmed by Microsoft,[40][41][42] unless otherwise stated:
Support for multi-cores (confirmed by Nokia)
Support for different resolutions
NFC support added, including payment and content sharing with WP8 and Windows 8 machines (confirmed by MS (but NFC is partially supported in Tango update, e.g. ZTE Orbit))
Carrier control and branding of "wallet" element is possible via SIM or phone hardware
Transitions to core components from desktop, including kernel, network stack, security components, and media support
Simplified porting of desktop apps to mobile
Zune desktop integration scrapped in favor of new, unnamed syncing app
Deeper Skydrive integration, including ability to sync data such as music collections (confirmed by MS as part of Live wave 5 update)
Xbox Companion app will get Windows 8 partner client
Native code support, simplified porting from Android and iOS
App-to-app communication and integration
Skype client with deep OS hooks that will make it almost identical to placing standard voice calls (confirmed by MS)
Camera app now supports "lenses", which allow third parties to skin and add features to camera interface (confirmed by MS)
DataSmart tracks and reports usage via app and live tile
Gives preferential treatment to WiFi, can automatically connect to carrier-owned hotspots
Proxy server will compress websites in Internet Explorer 10 up to 30 percent (IE10 is confirmed by MS)
Native 128-bit Bitlocker encryption
Support for proprietary, custom built apps to be deployed behind company firewalls
Features
User interface

Windows Phone features a new user interface, based upon Microsoft's Windows Phone design system, codenamed Metro.[43] The home screen, called the "Start screen", is made up of "Live Tiles". Tiles are links to applications, features, functions and individual items (such as contacts, web pages, applications or media items). Users can add, rearrange, or remove Tiles.[44] Tiles are dynamic and update in real time - for example, the tile for an email account would display the number of unread messages or a Tile could display a live update of the weather.[45]

Several features of Windows Phone are organized into "hubs", which combine local and online content via Windows Phone's integration with popular social networks such as Facebook, Windows Live, and Twitter.[45] For example, the Pictures hub shows photos captured with the device's camera and the user's Facebook photo albums, and the People hub shows contacts aggregated from multiple sources including Windows Live, Facebook, and Gmail. From the Hub, users can directly comment and 'like' on social network updates. The other built-in hubs are Music and Video (which integrates with Zune), Games (which integrates with Xbox Live), Windows Phone Marketplace, and Microsoft Office.[45]

Windows Phone uses multi-touch technology.[45] The default Windows Phone user interface has a dark theme that prolongs battery life on OLED screens as fully black pixels don't emit light.[46] The user may choose a light theme instead, and can also choose from several accent colors.[47] User interface elements such as tiles are shown in the user's chosen accent color. Third-party applications can be automatically themed with these colors.[48][49]

Microsoft's Program manager for Windows Phone Joe Belfiore posted on Twitter in 2011 that he felt "flattered" by the inclusion of various Windows Phone features in Apple's iOS 5.[50]
 Text input

Users input text by using an on-screen virtual keyboard, which has a dedicated key for inserting emoticons,[51] and features spell checking[51] and word prediction.[52] App developers (both inhouse and ISV) may specify different versions of the virtual keyboard in order to limit users to certain character sets, such as numeric characters alone. Users may change a word after it has been typed by tapping the word,[53] which will invoke a list of similar words. Pressing and holding certain keys will reveal similar characters. The keys are somewhat larger and spaced farther apart when in landscape mode. Phones may also be made with a hardware keyboard for text input.[54]
 Messaging

Windows Phone combined messaging through "threads". Threads allow the Windows Phone user to engage with their contacts through Windows Live Messenger and Facebook Chat as well as traditional text messages. Text message can also be composed through voice recognition. Voice recognition allows speech to be converted to text message and also allows text message to be converted to speech which can be read aloud.
Web browser

Internet Explorer Mobile on Windows Phone.
See also: Internet Explorer Mobile

Windows Phone 7.5 features a version of Internet Explorer Mobile with a rendering engine that is based on Internet Explorer 9.[55]

Internet Explorer on Windows Phone allows the user to maintain a list of favorite web pages and tiles linking to web pages on the Start screen. The browser supports up to 6 tabs, which can all load in parallel.[56] Other features include multi-touch gestures, a streamlined UI, smooth zoom in/out animations, the ability to save pictures that are on web pages, share web pages via email, and support for inline search which allows the user to search for a word or phrase in a web page by typing it.[57] Microsoft has announced plans to regularly update the Windows Phone web browser and its layout engine independently from the Windows Phone Update system.[58]

In a demo, Microsoft said that users will be able to stream YouTube videos from the browser. Clicking on a video from the mobile YouTube website will launch the video in a standalone app and will also add the YouTube video to the Music + Video Hub.[59]
[edit] Contacts

Contacts are organized via the "People hub". Contacts can be manually entered into contacts or imported from Facebook, Windows Live Contacts, Twitter, and LinkedIn. A "What's New" section show news feed and a "Pictures" section show pictures from those social networks made by the contacts. A "Me" section show the phone user's own social networks status and wall, allow the user to update his status, and check-in to Bing and Facebook Places. Contacts can be added to the home screen by pinning them to the start. The contact's "Live Tile" displays his social network status and profile picture on the homescreen and the contact's hub displays his Facebook wall as well as all of the rest of his contact information and information from his other social networks.

If a contact has information stored on multiple networks, users can link the two separate contact accounts, allowing the information to be viewed and accessed from a single card.[60] As of Windows Phone 7.5, contacts can also be sorted into "Groups". Here, information from each of the contacts is combined into a single page which can be accessed directly from the Hub or pinned to the Start screen.
Email

Windows Phone supports Hotmail, Exchange, Yahoo! Mail, and Gmail natively and supports many other services via the POP and IMAP protocols. For the native account types, contacts and calendars may be synced as well. Users can also search through their email by searching in the subject, body, senders, and receivers. Emails are shown in threading view and multiple email inboxes can be combined or kept separate.
 Multimedia

The Music + Video Hub on Windows Phone.
See also: Zune

Zune for Windows Phone is a built-in application providing entertainment and synchronization capabilities between PC and Windows Phone.[61] The Windows Phone multimedia experience is divided into two distinct hubs, the "Music + Videos" hub and the "Pictures" hub, both of which are similar in appearance and functionality to that of the Zune HD.

The "Music + Videos hub" allows the user to access music, videos, and podcasts stored on the device, and links directly to the Windows Phone Marketplace to buy music, or rent it with the Zune Pass subscription service. When browsing the music by a particular artist, users are able to view artist biographies and photos, provided by the Zune Software.[51] This hub integrates with many apps that provide video and music service, including, but not limited to, iHeartRadio, Youtube, and Vevo. This hub also includes Smart DJ which compiles a playlist of songs stored on the phone similar to the song or artist selected.

The "Pictures hub" displays the user's Facebook and Windows Live photo albums, as well as photos taken with the phone's built-in camera. Users can also upload photos to social networks, comment on others photos, and tag photos on social networks directly from the Pictures hub.[51] Multi-touch gestures permit zooming in and out of photos.

Media support

According to Brandon Miniman's test review for pocketnow.com, he stated "if Zune can play it, your Windows Phone 7 device can play it" - this refers to the supported playback of files.[62] The audio file formats, supported, include WAV, MP3, WMA, AMR, AAC/MP4/M4A/M4B and 3GP/3G2 as standards. The video file formats, supported, include WMV, AVI, MP4/M4V, 3GP/3G2 and MOV (QuickTime) standards. These supported audio and video formats would be dependent on the codecs contained inside them. It has also been previously reported that the DivX and Xvid codecs within AVI are also playable on the system.[63][64] Unlike the previous Windows Mobile operating system, there are currently no third-party applications for handling other video formats. The image file formats that are supported include JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIF and Bitmap (BMP).[65][66]

Custom ringtones were added with Mango. Ringtones must be under 1MB, less than 40 seconds long and the genre marked as Ringtone to appear on the phone, and are either created on the computer or downloaded through apps. Custom ringtones cannot be used for text messages, IMs or emails.
Games
Main article: List of Xbox Live games on Windows Phone
See also: Xbox LIVE

Xbox Live on Windows Phone provides some Xbox 360 features on Windows Phone devices by displaying the user's avatar in a 3D fashion. Via "Games hub", the users are able to interact with the avatar, view gamerscore and leaderboards, message Xbox Live friends, and Spotlight.[67] Multiplayer (turn-based) gaming with live multiplayer are also released.[68] Microsoft has unveiled more than 50 premium Windows Phone Games titles at Gamescom that makes use of Xbox Live on mobile.[69] Xbox Live on Windows Phone currently doesn't offer real-time multiplayer games, but will be added in the future.[70] Some key features of Xbox Live on Windows Phone include ability to be signed in simultaneously on the console and phone, send and receive messages between Console and Phone, unlock unique gamer points only available by purchasing the gaming title on the phone, etc.
Search

The Bing application on Windows Phone.
See also: Bing (search engine), Bing Mobile, and Bing Maps

Microsoft's hardware requirements stipulate that every Windows Phone must have a dedicated Search button on the front of the device that performs different actions.[45] Pressing the search button while an application is open will allow users to search within applications that take advantage of this feature; for example, pressing Search in the People hub will let the users search their contact list for specific people.[71] This has been changed in Windows Phone 7.5 however - as the search button is reserved for Bing - so applications that previously used this feature (such as the Marketplace) now include soft search buttons.

In other cases, pressing the Search button will allow the user to perform a search of web sites, news, and map locations using the Bing application.[72]

Windows Phone also has a voice recognition function, powered by TellMe, which allows the user to perform a Bing search, call contacts or launch applications by speaking. This can be activated by pressing and holding the phone's Start button.

Bing is the default search engine on Windows Phone handsets due to its deep integration of functions into the OS (which also include the utilization of its map service for location-based searches and queries). However, Microsoft has stated that other search engine applications can be used.[72][73][73]

Aside from location-based searches, Bing Maps also provide turn-by-turn navigation service to Windows Phone user and Local Scout shows interest points such as attractions and restaurants in the nearby area.

Bing Audio allows the user to match a song with its name and Bing Vision allows the user to match barcodes and tags with the product online.
[edit] Office suite

Microsoft Office Mobile on Windows Phone
See also: Microsoft Office Mobile

The "Office hub" organizes all Microsoft Office apps and documents. Microsoft Office Mobile provides interoperability between Windows Phone and the desktop version of Microsoft Office. Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, OneNote Mobile, and SharePoint Workspace Mobile allow most Microsoft Office file formats to be viewed and edited directly on a Windows Phone device.

Microsoft Office files from SkyDrive and Office 365, as well as files stored locally on the phone, can be accessed through the Office Hub. Office files are sorted by tiles: Word documents (blue tile), Excel spreadsheets (green tile), PowerPoint presentations (red tile), and OneNote documents (purple tile).
[edit] Multitasking

In Windows Phone 7, multitasking is limited to bundled apps. Starting with Windows Phone 7.5, a card-based task switcher can be accessed by pressing and holding the back button. The screenshot of last five open app are shown as cards. Apps can be kept running even when out of view through "Live Agents".[74] In other cases, apps are suspended and can be quickly resumed.
 Sync
See also: Zune Software

Zune Software manages the contents on Windows Phone devices and Windows Phone can wirelessly sync with Zune Software. In addition to accessing on the Windows Phone devices, Zune software can also access the Zune Marketplace to purchase music, videos, and all apps for Windows Phone. While music and videos are both stored locally on the PC and on the phone, apps are only stored on the phone even if purchased from the Zune Software. Zune Software can also be used to update all Windows Phone devices. Although Zune Software is unavailable on Mac OS X operating system, Microsoft has released Windows Phone Connector which allow Windows Phone devices to sync with iTunes for Mac and iPhoto.[75][76][77]

Windows Phone OS doesn't support usual USB sync with Microsoft Outlook's Contacts, Tasks and Notes as opposed to older versions of Windows Mobile with Desktop ActiveSync.[78][79] Syncing Contacts and Appointments is done via a cloud-based service (Windows Live, Google, or Exchange Server) only. There's no way to sync this personal information directly from a computer to a Windows Phone and back.[80] A petition to Microsoft was filed to reinstate USB sync for Outlook.[81]
 Updates

A test notification of an "update available" pop-up in the Windows Phone emulator.

According to Microsoft documentation, software updates will be delivered to Windows Phone users via Microsoft Update, as is the case with other Windows operating systems.[82] Microsoft had the intention to directly update any phone running Windows Phone instead of relying on OEMs or wireless carriers,[83] but on January 6, 2012, Microsoft changed their policy to let carriers decide if an update will be delivered.[84] The software component, called Windows Phone Update, exists both on the phone (for smaller updates, over-the-air) and in the Zune Software for Windows PCs (for larger updates, via USB connection). Users will be notified to attach their phones to a PC if such an update is required.[85] Microsoft has said that in the future, all updates, both large and small will eventually support over-the-air downloads.[86] Charlie Kindel, Program Manager for the developer experience of Windows Phone, confirmed that the update infrastructure system for Windows Phone was available and that Microsoft is "in a position where we have the systems in place to effectively and reliably deliver updates to (Windows Phone) users".[87]

Microsoft plans to regularly ship minor updates that add features throughout the year, and major updates once a year.[88]

All third-party applications can be updated automatically from the Windows Phone Marketplace.[89]
Advertising platform

Microsoft has also launched an advertising platform for the Windows Phone platform. Microsoft's General Manager for Strategy and Business Development, Kostas Mallios, said that Windows Phone will be an "ad-serving machine", pushing advertising and brand-related content to the user. The platform will feature advertising tiles near applications and toast notifications, which will bring updating advertising notifications. Mallios said that Windows Phone will be able to "preserve the brand experience by going directly from the web site right to the application", and that Windows Phone "enables advertisers to connect with consumers over time".[90] Mallios continued: "you're now able to push information as an advertiser, and stay in touch with your customer. It's a dynamic relationship that is created and provides for an ongoing dialog with the consumer."[91]
 Bluetooth

Windows Phone supports the following Bluetooth profiles:[92]
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP 1.2)
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP 1.3)
Hands Free Profile (HFP 1.5)
Headset Profile (HSP 1.1)
Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP 1.1)
 Marketplace

Windows Phone Marketplace on Samsung Focus
Main articles: Windows Phone Marketplace and Zune Marketplace

The Windows Phone Marketplace is used to digitally distribute music, video content, podcasts, and third party applications to Windows Phone handsets. The marketplace is accessible using the Zune Software client or the marketplace hub on devices (though videos are not downloadable through the marketplace hub and must be downloaded and synced through the Zune software).[93] The marketplace is managed by Microsoft, which includes an approval process. As of March 2012, the Windows Phone Marketplace is available in 54 countries.[94]
[edit] Music and videos

Zune Marketplace offers 14 million songs up to 320 kbit/s in DRM-free MP3 format from the big four music groups (EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group), as well as smaller music labels. It offers movies from Paramount, Universal, Warner Brothers, and other studios and also offer television shows from popular television networks.

Microsoft also offers Zune Pass music subscription service which allows subscribers to download an unlimited number of songs for as long as their subscription is active.
Applications and games
 Development

Third party applications and games for Windows Phone must be based on XNA or a WP7 specific version of Silverlight[95] only.[96] For Windows Phone apps to be designed and tested within Visual Studio 2010 or Visual Studio 2010 Express editions, Microsoft offers Windows Phone Developer Tools as an extension. Windows Phone Developer Tools run only on Windows Vista SP2 and later.[97] Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are not supported. Microsoft also offers Expression Blend for Windows Phone for free.[98] On November 29, 2009, Microsoft announced the Release to web (RTW) version of its Visual Basic .NET Developer Tool, to allow development in Visual Basic.[98]
 Submission

Registered Windows Phone and Xbox Live developers can submit and manage their third party applications for the platforms though the App Hub web applications.[99] The App Hub provides development tools and support for third-party application developers. The submitted applications undergo an approval process for verifications and validations to check if they qualify the applications standardization criteria set by Microsoft.[100] The cost of the applications that are approved is up to the developer, but Microsoft will take 30% of the revenue (the other 70% goes to the developer).[101] Microsoft will only pay developers once they reach a set sales figure, and will withhold 30% tax from non-US developers, unless they first register with the United States Government's Internal Revenue Service. Microsoft only pays developers from a list of thirty countries.[102] A yearly fee is also payable for developers wishing to submit apps.[103]

In order to get an application to appear in the Windows Phone Marketplace, the application must be submitted to Microsoft for approval.[102] Microsoft has outlined the content that it will not allow in the applications, which includes content that, among other things, advocates discrimnation or hate, promotes usage of drugs, alchohol or tobacco, or includes sexually suggestive material.[104]
 Hardware

Samsung Omnia 7, on the 3 Austria network, running Windows Phone
 System requirements

Microsoft has said that it is issuing "tough, but fair" hardware requirements to manufacturers.[105] All Windows Phone devices, at minimum, must include the following:[106][107]
Minimum Windows Phone device requirements
Capacitive, 4-point multi-touch screen with WVGA (480x800) resolution[citation needed]
ARM v7 "Cortex/Scorpion" – Snapdragon QSD8X50, MSM7X30, and MSM8X55
DirectX9 rendering-capable GPU
256MB of RAM with at least 4GB of Flash memory
Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor and Assisted GPS
FM radio tuner
Six (6) dedicated hardware buttons – back, Start, search, 2-stage camera, power/sleep and volume buttons
Optional hardware: Front-facing camera, compass and gyroscope