Will your Windows Phone handset be able to make the leap to Windows 10?

Microsoft has been revealing which phones will be capable of running the mobile edition of Windows 10, and new information can be found on the company's website. A link called "Windows 10 Eligible" on the US Lumia phone website brings up a page that displays just five phones so far, namely the Lumia 640 XL from AT&T, the Lumia 640 also from AT&T, the Lumia 735 from Verizon, the unlocked version of the Lumia 635 and the Lumia 635 from Sprint.
But wait, there must more than five phones eligible for Windows 10. And yes, there are. But the question of which ones may not make the cut still seems to be unanswered.
Due to roll out later this year, the mobile edition of Windows 10 will offer several changes and enhancements for users, including a new and more appealing design, a new and improved Action Center that allows you to fine-tune notifications for different features and tasks, a new settings menu and the Microsoft Edge browser. With its mobile market share less than 3 percent, Microsoft is struggling in the mobile arena and is looking for help from Windows 10. The new OS will offer a similar look and similar apps across all devices, from PCs to tablets to phones, a strategy Microsoft hopes will attract more interest from both PC and mobile phone consumers.
So, just which phones will support Windows 10 beyond the five listed on Microsoft's website?
The UK version of Microsoft's site lists a few additional phones, including the Lumia 830 and the Lumia 435. In March, Microsoft released a lengthy list of current Windows Phone handsets that it said were capable of supporting the second test build of Windows 10 Mobile. And in November 2014, a tweet from Microsoft's Lumia Twitter account said that "there will be Windows 10 upgrades for all Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices."
So why are there only a few devices listed on Microsoft's "Windows 10 Eligible" page? That section of the site could be a work in progress. Or it could be in error. Either way, with Windows 10 Mobile coming out this year, Microsoft needs to confirm for sure which phones will be supported and which ones won't. Users of Windows Phone want to know if they can stick with their existing phone or will have to upgrade to a new one to receive the benefits of Windows 10.

Read More

Four mega popular messaging apps you've never heard of

In the past few years standard messaging has gone out of style, with billions of people around the word migrating to alternate instant messenger apps.
Facebook rules the roost in western countries, with the two most widely used apps both owned by the social media giant: Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in June that the site's Messenger app had 700 million active users, up from 600 million just 3 months prior. Meanwhile, WhatsApp, which Facebook purchased for $16 billion last February, recently reported a mind-boggling 900 million monthly active users.
But the thing with messaging apps in the west is that they're just not that different to one another. WhatsApp essentially offers the same suite of services as its less popular competitors Viber and Kik -- the only real motivation to download a certain app is the number of your friends who use it.
It's not quite the same in China, Japan, South Korea and India. Each country has its own wildly popular messenger apps, each with distinguishing features.

China's WeChat and its social media marketplace

Tencent's WeChat messenger has over 500 million monthly active users, with about 85 percent of that number in China. It features a solid list of functions, including location sharing and smartwatch compatibility, but the one feature that makes it unique is called weishang.
Weishang, which translates roughly to microbusiness, allows users to sell goods and services to their contact list, advertising them through the app's Moments status update function. Imagine WhatsApp mixed with Craigslist.
Unsurprisingly, though perhaps a little ironically, the microbusiness platform has attracted the attention of mega businesses.
In July, Chinese home appliance giant Haier experimented by recruiting 30,000 people to sell its products through WeChat. Earlier this month a Haier executive announced that it hopes to have no less than one million vendors on the platform in 2016, according to the South China Morning Post.

India's Nimbuzz

Nimbuzz, India's most widely used messenger, is distinguished by a simple feature that's surprisingly rare in the instant messenger marketplace.
Developed by Dutch-owned, but India-operated Nimbuzz BV, the app allows its users to communicate across messenger apps. Though direct competitors like WhatsApp or Viber aren't compatible, Nimbuzz users can message their friends across platforms like Facebook Messenger, Google Plus and Windows Live Messenger.
The app is also popular in India thanks to its discounted international voice calling rates. Its userbase was numbered at around 150 million in 2013, but has been growing alongside the developing smartphone market in the country -- last year Nimbuzz's CEO told The Next Web there were 210,000 new signups per da

Japan's Line messenger's sticker level is over 9000 (literally)

Line was created by NHN Japan, a subsidiary of South Korean tech company Naver. The app's creation was necessitated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, with NHN Japan's employees developing Line to communicate with each other following the ravaging of the country's telecommunications infrastructure.
The app was released to the public later that year and now, just four years on, it has been downloaded by over 600 million people.
The hallmark of the messenger app is the ridiculous quantity of its stickers. Line is decked out with over 10,000 emoticon options, for all your emotive needs. For comparison, there are roughly 900 emojis available -- though they're often not all usable on the same device.
To compliment the sea of ideograms and smiley faces, Line features a strong suggestive sticker keyboard. For instance, if you type in "dog" you'll be hit with three pages of different canine emoticons.
The caveat is that many of the 10,000 stickers need to be downloaded in packs, and some of them need to be paid for. But even then... 10,000!

South Korea's KakaoTalk

South Koreans like to keep things local. Local companies Samsung and LG are two of the three most popular handset creators in the country, and Kaokao Talk, developed by Seoul-based Kakao Inc, at last count was used by 93 percent of South Korea's smartphone users.
And there's good reason too, as the app is one of the world's most robust messengers. In addition to the standard messaging and voice call capabilities, the app is open source, allowing for users to make creative and unique themes for themselves and others.
Another simple, yet surprisingly rare, function is the ability to create events within the app. Coordinating events with your friends is a huge part of Facebook's appeal and the reason why many people struggle to extricate themselves from the social network.
Another social media-like feature of KakaoTalk is the ability to buy real-world gifts for your friends. You can buy vouchers for food, services and products at cooperating companies, the list of which has steadily grown with the popularity of the app.
All of these apps are available for download on iOS and Android in all countries -- but unfortunately some of the more interesting features, like Weishang and Kakao's gifting, are only available in the respective app's native country.

Read More

What you need to know when Getting a New Apple Phone

Apple's newly announced iPhone Upgrade Program offers customers the opportunity to upgrade their smartphone each year by paying a monthly installment. In this column, I'll look at whether the plan is worth it.
Apple's plan mimics similar deals offered by the four major wireless operators, which are ditching two-year service contracts with heavily subsidized devices. Instead they're offering plans that require customers to pay full price for a phone in exchange for lower service fees. T-Mobile started the no-contract trend two years ago and Verizon is the latest to follow suit.
Installment plans help blunt the sticker shock of a new smartphone. And the upgrade plans help drive more iPhone sales.
Apple's new plan could be a boon for the company, which will not only move more inventory, but will also get a steady stream of older devices it can resell.
The new financing program will be available only at Apple retail locations. Customers won't be able to sign up for it online. Devices bought through the program will be unlocked, but they must be activated on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon, the company said during the announcement.

What's the pricing for the Apple upgrade program?

Pricing starts at $32.41 a month for a 16GB iPhone 6S and goes as high as $44.91 for the 128GB iPhone 6S Plus.
The pricing is on top of the monthly fee you'll pay for wireless service from your carrier.

Do customers have to return their old iPhone when upgrading to the next model?

Apple's program is essentially an installment plan combined with an early upgrade program. It spreads payments for the new phone over 24 months. Customers can upgrade free after 12 payments. To upgrade, they must trade in their existing iPhone; then the clock resets on the monthly payments for the new device.
If customers choose not to upgrade, they can continue paying off the device. After 24 months, they'll own the phone and can keep it, sell it, give it to a family member or use it as a backup device.
If customers want a new phone after making 24 payments, they can keep their paid-off phone and sign up for a new device, assuming Apple continues the program.

The plan offers 'unlocked' iPhones. What are they and why would I want one?

An unlocked smartphone doesn't have software installed from a specific wireless operator to prevent it from being used on a rival's network. iPhones sold for and by major carriers include a software lock. (Verizon is the big exception. All its 4G LTE devices come unlocked.) AT&T and Sprint will generally unlock devices once they're paid for.
T-Mobile announced Thursday a network service guarantee that lets unsatisfied customers request that their smartphone be unlocked so it can be used on a competitor's network, even if the device isn't paid off.
Unlocked phones let customers avoid contracts and switch carriers if they're unhappy with service. They also let customers swap SIM cards so the device can be used with a local service provider when traveling abroad. This can save big bucks on service charges while out of the country.

In the past, unlocked iPhones didn't work on all US carriers. Will the unlocked version sold through this program work?

In years gone by, Apple built multiple versions of the iPhone that included technology compatible with particular wireless operators. Unlocked versions of the phone were often tailored more for the European market, which uses a network technology called GSM to deliver voice service. AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. use GSM, while Verizon and Sprint use a technology called CDMA to deliver voice service. Because of this difference, unlocked iPhones sold by Apple often didn't support the CDMA technology needed to operate on Verizon and Sprint.
Apple says the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus sold through this program will come unlocked and will work on any of the four major US carriers' networks.
One thing to note is that included in the monthly fee is a subscription to Apple Care+, Apple's insurance and extended warranty program. The retail cost of this service is $129. If you look at the total price of a new 16GB iPhone 6S under the Apple program, it's roughly $129 more than the full retail price of the device, which is $650.
Each of the four major carriers in the US offers installment and/or early upgrade programs for new iPhones. And each of those is likely to be at least slightly less expensive than Apple's plan. But remember that these plans don't include insurance or an extended warranty. Customers wanting those features must pay extra, and the per month and total cost could be pricier than Apple's offer.
Based on current pricing, Sprint offers the best value for customers who'd like to upgrade to a new iPhone every year, through a leasing program called iPhone Forever. Right now Sprint is offering a promotion that lets customers lease a new iPhone for $15 a month with the option to upgrade anytime they want. In order to get this price, customers have to turn in a functioning smartphone. Without a device to trade-in, the price is $22 a month to lease a new iPhone 6S.
For iPhone fans who plan to keep their devices longer, T-Mobile's Jump On Demand offers a great value. The plan, available only in retail stores, charges a monthly fee and lets customers upgrade up to three times a year.
Following Apple's announcement, T-Mobile sweetened its deal by dropping the monthly lease price for a new 16GB iPhone 6S to $20 a month. But the real value of the T-Mobile offer over all the other plans is that it lets customers pay $164 at the end of the lease period to own the phone. This, coupled with the newly reduced monthly fee, brings the total cost of a new iPhone under T-Mobile's Jump plan to $524, a savings of $126 over the full retail price of the phone.

I know Apple Care+ is included in the monthly fee under Apple's program. What benefit does it provide over the standard warranty?

Apple iPhones come with a limited one-year warranty, which covers manufacturer defects, as well as 90 days of support. AppleCare+, which now costs $129, extends the basic warranty to two years. It also adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.

The bottom line: What should I do?

Apple's upgrade program is attractive only for people looking to upgrade to the latest iPhone every year.
Even then, Sprint and T-Mobile each offer less expensive options, especially with the promotions they're currently running.
If you'd rather use AT&T or Verizon as your service provider, and you'd like to upgrade your iPhone each year, the Apple upgrade program is appealing. It's priced slightly lower than AT&T's Next program, which also allows the option to upgrade once a year, and it includes the Apple Care+ warranty and insurance. For Verizon subscribers, it's the only option if you want to upgrade without paying the full price for a new device every year.
If you plan to keep your device for at least two years and you don't really need or want to spend extra money on the Apple Care+ service, then almost any offer from one of the wireless carriers will likely cost you less over a 24-month period than Apple's plan.

Read More