Windows Phone Marketplace closing its doors to devices not running Mango

If you own a device running Windows Phone below version 7.5 (Mango), we have bad news for you. Microsoft announced that it would no longer be making its Windows Phone Marketplace available for devices running versions of its mobile operating system below Mango.

On the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft announced that it would be making two changes to the Windows Marketplace. The first was no longer giving access to apps via its desktop Zune software with the exception of the Zune HD MP3 player. The second involves the Mango version of Windows Phone, which run devices such as the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 900. Microsoft announced the devices that did not run at least Mango would no longer be able to download apps. These devices would only be allowed to browse the internet.

The news may sound bad, but the reality is most Windows Phones in the market run or can be update to Mango. To check, all you have to do is go to settings and then phone update. If an update is available, connect your phone to your computer via Zune then follow the instructions given.

Microsoft has a reason for announcing these changes. According to the software giant, Windows Phone Mango “is part of a larger effort aimed at improving Marketplace performance and security, and paving the way for even faster growth and more new features”.

This push to get every device running Mango could mean that Windows Phone 8 will be rolling out to all devices. Although this information should be taken with a pinch of salt, it is a possibility.

Tags: Apps, Mango, Microsoft, windows phone, Windows Phone 7.5, Windows Phone Mango, Windows Phone Marketplace
Category OS News |

Windows Phone Marketplace popularity causes delays in app certification process

Microsoft must be thrilled there is an influx of apps submitted for approval on the Windows Phone Marketplace, an app store for phones such as the Nokia Lumia 800 and HTC Titan. Sadly, this popularity is causing delays in the process of certifying apps. This is what Microsoft is telling developers through the company’s Registered Developer Newsletter.

Microsoft currently enjoys 80,000 apps in its marketplace, which is another milestone. However, this sudden growth in apps is causing delays in the time it takes to get apps published. This is according to WPCentral.

According to the newsletter, in the past, it would take 72 hours for apps submitted in the Windows Phone Marketplace to be approved. Currently, the process can take ‘’at least seven calendar days to certify and publish apps’. So, if you plan to launch an app with a certain date in mind, Microsoft advises developers to ‘submit for certification well in advance of any desired publish date’.

Although this delay may be terrible news for developers, the Windows Phone Marketplace is showing significant signs of progress. This also means that Windows Phone users are likely to stick with the platform, despite playing catch-up with industry leaders such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

Does the growth of app on the Windows Phone Marketplace make you want to stay with Windows Phone? Give us your thoughts.

Tags: Apps, Marketplace, Microsoft, Registered Developer Newsletter, windows phone, Windows Phone Marketplace
Category App News |

Nokia Drive 2.0 now available for download on the Windows Phone Marketplace exclusively for Lumia handsets

It’s no secret that Nokia’s strategy is to differentiate is Windows Phone handsets from the rest of the pack. One of the ways in which the Finnish firm does this is by creating apps on the Windows Phone Marketplace exclusive to its Lumia handsets such as the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710. One of these apps is Nokia Drive version 2.0. The app is now available for download on Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace.

There are a number of new features that comes with new version of Nokia Drive. This includes planning routes offline and navigation, notifications of speed limits, and an advanced dashboard. The advanced dashboard now shows information such as your most recent destinations. The new Nokia Drive version 2.0 offers driving information available in 100 countries in 6 continents around the world.

If you’re planning to preview the app on the web version of the Windows Phone Marketplace, this is, unfortunately, unavailable. This means that the app can only be found on Windows Phone handsets. Again, the app is exclusive to Nokia’s Lumia handsets such as the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710.

Have you downloaded Nokia Drive 2.0 for your Lumia 800 or Lumia 710? Let us know what you think of the app through a comment.

Tags: Apps, Lumia, Nokia, Nokia Drive, Nokia Drive 2.0, Nokia Drive version 2.0, windows phone, Windows Phone Marketplace
Category App News |