All About Windows Phone

So long and thanks for all the fish...

Fri, 06 May 2022 08:40:00 GMT

Twenty years of mobile coverage, almost 25,000 articles across (at times) up to five sites, half a dozen writers, Symbian through Meego and Windows Phone operating systems, then cross-platform to iOS and Android for the last couple of years, Rafe Blandford’s ‘All About’ sites have had a good run. And most of it is still accessible and will hopefully remain so for a while. But I do have an announcement...

Samsung Semiconductor launches UFS 4.0

Wed, 04 May 2022 15:06:10 GMT

Most Android smartphones use the UFS (Universal Flash Storage) system for their internal storage - and the current state of the art (last few years) is UFS 3.0 or 3.1. Samsung Semiconductor just introduced UFS 4.0, which uses Samsung’s Gen 7 V-NAND memory and proprietary controller. Read speeds go up to 4.2GB/s and write speeds up to 2.8GB/s, along with a 46% power efficiency improvement compared to UFS 3.x.

And after months of imaging updates... (Duo 2, iPhone, Pixel 6 Pro)

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 12:25:00 GMT

In part testing whether I can get Features to work on this site again - but also testing some of my favourite recent smartphones with a bevy of updates under their belt now. In theory, this is as good as photography will get on the Surface Duo 2, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the Pixel 6 Pro, so I took advantage of some nice Spring weather in the UK to see what they could do, six months after launch for the Duo and Pixel, and a whopping 18 months for the iPhone.

The laptop in your pocket

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 10:44:56 GMT

So yes a bit of an experiment. Writing about the laptop in your pocket ON a laptop in my pocket. In this case the Microsoft Surface Duo 2. No corrections or additions were made on any other device. It has been the dream of every mobile enthusiast for three decades to have a workable laptop, for Office, email, and so on, in a pocketable form. Think Psion, think Nokia Communicators. This is the latest attempt, in 2022!

Buy a new mid-ranger or a two year old flagship?

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 16:05:10 GMT

With my own Phones Show now in the past, I'm very happy to recommend other YouTubers, not least Arun Maini here, who - aside from the juvenile backwards baseball cap - produces very high quality content, in this case answering the question of whether it's best to pay $400/£400 now for a 2022 mid-ranger or the same for a two year old flagship. Not included in the scoring but very relevant, of course, is that holding onto older hardware for longer is the best thing for the planet - but it's also the best for you in terms of experience, it seems!

(Definitive) Surface Duo vs Surface Duo 2

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 14:47:38 GMT

These are crossover devices for our time, certainly across AAWP and AAM - the Microsoft Surface Duo and Duo 2, with the best of Microsoft and most of the best of Android. A year apart and significant purchase/outlay apart, it's no surprise that the Duo 2 is the overall better device, but the original Duo still has a few unique plus points. To catalogue everything though, Duo expert Shane Craig has posted the definitive video comparison between the two, covering performance, design, interface, imaging, and battery.

Review: UGREEN Travel Organiser Bag

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 11:10:05 GMT

While utterly generic, I have a soft spot for 'gadget bags', as I call them. My go-everywhere briefcase has been filled in recent times with a myriad of cables and adapters - and this £17 UGREEN organiser bag arrived for review at exactly the right time. See the photos below - my wires have never been so easy to find and hard to lose!

iMovie update features Storyboards and Magic Movie

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 08:21:51 GMT

Apple's iMovie system, for both Macs and iPhones, is one of a number of stand-out value-add features for their hardware. In other words, budgeting for commercial quality video editing on other desktop and mobile platforms isn't needed when you opt for a Mac or iPhone. The full Office suite, GarageBand, and - here - iMovie are just all built in and free forever. iMovie just got itself a major update across the board, in any case, a brief walkthrough below.

Monument Browser is no longer available (for W10M)

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 09:53:31 GMT

It has been brought to my attention that the popular Monument Browser is no longer in the Store for Windows 10 Mobile devices. It seems that the developers have finally starting compiling against a minimum OS version number that's higher than W10M reached. Which was inevitable, and the day has come. Having said that, if you have Monument Browser installed already then it should carry on working much as it did.

Seven reasons for loving (and using) Windows 10 Mobile in 2022

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 08:11:52 GMT

Guest writer 'Nico' returns with real world reflections on using Windows 10 Mobile in 2022 - you can reply to him by using the comments below. Note that he uses the shorthand 'WP10' for 'Windows 10 Mobile'.

All About... the Nokia 9 PureView

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 15:16:23 GMT

My own experience with the Nokia 9 PureView, released to much fanfare exactly three years ago, was limited to my loan review period, but there are plenty of people with years of experience with this troubled device. Thus, Kerwin over on NokiaMob has produced a very decent summary of the whole Nokia 9 PureView saga - warts and all.

Status report for April 2022: services and apps on Windows 10 Mobile

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 07:06:00 GMT

Here, for April 2022, three months after the previous update, is the refreshed/latest news and comment on applications and services on Windows 10 Mobile - the OS itself has now had its very last security update, but it still works... if your needs are limited. This feature will summarise what's broken and what's not, along with workarounds where possible. Details and links have all been updated throughout. Note that I've kept the URL the same, so the last two years of comments are all still here.

'Your Phone' becomes 'Phone Link'

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 15:29:12 GMT

OK, so there's not much new here aside from a redesign of the PC side of things and that'll be rolling out soon - but Microsoft has at least simplified things slightly in the renaming of 'Your Phone Companion' to the simpler 'Phone Link' and with the Android (phone) side of things renamed to 'Link to Windows', which it was already on Samsung phones and the Surface Duo. So simpler and more consistent, going forwards.

TGS: Folding phones and over-ear Bluetooth

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 07:09:31 GMT

The Gadget Show is a well known TV review affair in the UK, with everything dumbed down in 'Top Gear' fashion for mass market consumption, but still quite fun and covering tech that you or I might be interested in, even with zero geek credentials while doing so. In the two recent online clips released, Jon Bentley compares first, folding phones, including the Microsoft Surface Duo 2, and then over-ear Bluetooth headphones - both clips are relatively short and worth a watch.

Mini-review: UGREEN HiTune X6 TWS buds

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:33:31 GMT

There's not that much to say about TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds, since they're now pretty ubiquitous in 2022, which is why I refuse most review sets offered to me at All About Towers. However, UGREEN's pitch is for 1cm drivers and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) at currently under £30 (cf Apple's equivalent at £250 or so), so I gave in and have been giving the HiTune X6 a decent whirl...

Surface Duo 2: Michael Fisher's long term review

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:43:24 GMT

Fresh from his detailed look at DeX and Continuum, Michael Fisher has turned his polished attention to the Surface Duo 2, which he's been using on and off now for the best part of half a year. With his usual wealth of b-roll and demo footage, it's a fun watch and the conclusion seems pretty balanced - this isn't a smartphone you can casually recommend, but the sheer number of things it can - almost uniquely - do makes it well worth considering, at least.

Review: Jackery 500 Power Station

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Following my look at a folding 120W solar panel and a 12V 65W adapter, it's time for the pièce de résistance - a way of 'caching' charge and dispensing it as needed. Traditionally in the mobile world we'd be looking at a high capacity power bank, and in effect this is the case - except that here we're talking 137,000 mAh (at phone voltages), compare that to the 10,000 mAh of the familiar pocket bank. This is a serious, serious bit of kit and includes a 500W inverter.

Review: Firefly 120W folding solar panel

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:57:00 GMT

You may have gathered from previous reviews that I'm experimenting with a whole new approach to mobile power - and very capable, though with obvious bulk. What I'm trying out spans the worlds of mobile tech, campervans, and emergency home supply. Appropriately, given the current world situation. In this first review part, I'm reviewing at the solar panel system that I chose, in part 2, I'll cover the portable power station.

Review: Baseus 65W PD 'Car Charger'

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 18:28:00 GMT

No, the second appearance of Baseus in these pages has nothing to do with sponsored products or freebies - I bought each with my own money and am renovating my entire home tech power system - more in a feature if Rafe can get (new) Features working again on the server. Here we have full 65W Power Delivery output from a car 12V socket - subject to power caps within your vehicle, of course!

DeX, Continuum - 'almost useable'

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 13:30:08 GMT

Michael Fisher is one of the biggest YouTubers who's also open to 'think different', in terms of smartphones, accessories, folding, and extending. In the video below he takes the NexDock 360 and a variety of smartphones (and cables!) for a real world spin, an overnight trip sans laptop. His verdict at the end of a tremendously detailed video? That the tragedy of DeX (and Continuum, 'Ready For', etc.) is that it's almost useable. Almost. With a capital 'A'. It's good enough that you can envision this sort of smartphone extension as 'the future' - but it's also buggy and problematic enough in terms of current hardware and software that you can't live with it right now, even seven years after Microsoft first delivered Continuum and over a decade after Motorola tested the ground with its Atrix system.

Review: Baseus Adaman 65W Digital Power Bank

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 17:32:23 GMT

It's that time of the year, perhaps. Roughly once each annum I declare myself to have discovered the 'perfect' power bank. And the thing is that I always have justification for the new rating because the technology keeps moving on - here we have a metal bodied, high current, multi-output power bank, with no less than three digital display modes.

Magic Movie and Storyboards coming to iMovie next month

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:14:47 GMT

Apple has trailed two major new features for its flagship video editing suite on iOS (and iPad OS and Mac OS). Magic Movie is an overhaul of the basic 'cinematic' wizard that has been in iMovie for years, while Storyboards are a tutorial system in building up professional videos using predefined templates.

Rather sadly, video editing on Android and Windows are meagre affairs at best. Anecdotally, media support and video editing are the reasons I switched to Mac in the first place, circa 2010, and I haven't looked back. You may remember that I managed to film and edit an entire Phones Show on just an iPhone last year.

David Wood on 30 years of PDA and smartphone OS...

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 20:36:26 GMT

If you haven't heard of David Wood before then you need to catch up a little. One of the creators of the Psion palmtops in the 1990s and then one of the architects of Symbian OS in the 2000s, he has tremendous insight - and, frankly, an impressive memory, dredging up codewords, anecdotes, and industry analysis from 20 years ago. I've covered his book here before, but the guys at the Nokia Chronicles podcast had him on this weekend and it's a 'must listen'.

Review: UGREEN 100W GaN Fast Charger

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 10:55:00 GMT

New features are still broken on the All About sites - but Reviews seem fine, so here goes. Sent over for me to test is the UGREEN 100W GaN Fast Charger, designed to charge just about any mobile tech you may have - and then some. It's not cheap, at £80(!) - but it might be a genuine space and complexity saver in your office or kitbag.

OpoLua brings Psion palmtop apps to the iPhone

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 07:41:34 GMT

A brief history lesson. Today's smartphones are built on the lessons learned from the early days, when Symbian ruled the world (2002-2010) - and Symbian itself, a multitasking OS in the palm of your hand, was based on EPOC, a real time pre-emptive multitasking OS in the AA-powered Psion palmtops in the 1990s. These had a full development language onboard, OPL, and a huge number of applications were developed by enthusiasts (like me) for the Psion scene.

Fast forward to today and a developer has just released OpoLua, an OPL runtime for iOS, i.e. for iPhone and iPad. Meaning that you can now install and run Psion/OPL applications on a 2022 iPhone. Which is... pretty cool, even though app complexity now has in most cases outstripped those early OPL efforts.

Review: RENAISSER Raphael 530 Stylus

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 09:01:00 GMT

Features may be on hold, but I can still post reviews. Now, now... If you resent paying £120 for a Microsoft Slim Pen 2, and then either another £30 for a charger for it, or another £60 for the Surface Duo 2 Slim Pen Cover, there's another way. Go third party and save a fortune, plus you get standard USB Type C charging into the bargain. This Renaisser 'Digital pen for compatible Windows 10 devices' is perfectly good enough for most stylus activity on the Duo 2 or indeed any other Surface Pro or Go tablet...

Review: XtremeSkins: Aged Oak and Textured Black

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 16:50:41 GMT

Features may be on hold, but it seems that I can post reviews. Not there's a huge amount to tackle at 'All About Towers' right now, but for the sake of completeness, here's a look at two of my favourite new skins for the Microsoft/Android flagship, the Surface Duo 2, quite transforming its look...

Surface Duo 2: Updates, Long term review

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 16:33:28 GMT

Two quick notes regarding Surface Duo 2, of interest today. Firstly, the February 2022 update just hit the phone, with yet more speed improvements to the camera, plus proper animations in single screen (folded back) mode. And secondly, Shane Craig, who has lived and breathed Surface Duo and Duo 2 for two years now, has just put up his long term Duo 2 review, embedded below.

How to Side Load Android Apps on Windows 11

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 16:19:50 GMT

YouTuber Shane Craig has a specialism in the intersection of Windows and mobile, resulting in a lot of interesting geeky videos, including the one embedded below, demonstrating how to sideload Android applications onto Windows 11 desktop, including the very interesting Aurora App Store. Yes, the official Amazon App Store that Microsoft is pushing is all very well, but the app selection is limited, while Aurora has far more to browse through. And once you've sideloaded Aurora, subsequent installs are far easier, see Shane's video for more...

Haptics-enhanced Android 12 and Dynamic Vibration...

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 12:21:20 GMT

YouTube channel 'Gary Explains' has an interesting video up, embedded below, on the criminally under-reported inclusion of 'HD Haptics' in Android 12, now here on the Google Pixels and imminent on many other Android smartphones. As he explains though, the phones do need the right hardware and chip support to take advantage of these real time haptic outputs...

Windows 11 powered by your Android phone?

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 10:22:06 GMT

For anyone steeped in Lumias, Continuum, DeX, and now Surface Duo, there's an interesting editorial up at WC this week by fellow Brit Sean Endicott, talking about his dream of dual booting a phone into Android or Windows 11 (on ARM), with the latter admittedly mainly outputting to an external monitor, Continuum-style. Plenty of good chat in it and in the comments below the article.

Enter the Amazon Appstore Preview, with select Android apps and games on Windows 11

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 10:14:31 GMT

You've always wanted to run Android apps in your Windows Desktop, right? Well, perhaps not (and note that Your Phone kind of got there first), but casual gamers in particular might like to know that the long promised Android app integration is now rolling out for Windows 11. At least if you're in the USA - seems like there's a few months wait if you're anywhere else in the world. Plus there's the (not obvious) caveat that we're only talking about non-Google Android apps that happen to be in the Amazon app store. But still, progress of sorts, eh?

Why does the Surface Duo 2 exist? A new chat series...

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 08:05:49 GMT

Brett and Mathew Gilbertson, Australian tech experts and Microsoft MVPs, also known on YouTube as 'oztabletpc', have started what will hopefully be a full series of chat videos based around the Surface Duo 2, with plenty of generic Microsoft and legacy name checks along the way, including for Lumias. I should note that the format is 99% chat and that you're looking at the best part of half an hour per episode, so you can leave it playing while you get on with something else, much like an audio podcast. But the content is good and both Brett and Matthew seem to 'get' the Duo form factor and purpose.

What can I still do with my Microsoft Band?

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 20:32:42 GMT

Coming across my Microsoft Band 2 the other day, I charged it up and found it in tip top condition - and it's been gathering steps, heart beats, and stairs climbed ever since. So - what can the Band 2 still do, without Microsoft's official app and service for Windows Phone and Android? It turns out quite a lot, and Microsoft even has a FAQ page that goes into detail.

Features (still) on hold...!

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 12:16:39 GMT

Just in case you were wondering... You may have noticed a further, drastic slow down of content on this site - there's a complicated server issue which means that I can't post any new feature articles.

Five obscure beginnings to some of our favorite smartphone features

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 15:32:24 GMT

There's a good feature up today by friend of 'All About', Zac Kew Denniss, a Brit who lives just down the road from me. He was writing for Android Police and has picked out five favourite hardware features from today's smartphones and where they first debuted...

Video testing with the Duo 2, this time with telephoto(!)

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 07:37:00 GMT

The method of zooming in on the Duo 2 may be almost identical to on Microsoft's previous Lumia series of camera phones (albeit in the opposite direction, i.e. swipe down to zoom in, not up!), but the mechanics are different, of course. A dedicated 2x telephoto lens gives genuine optical zoom, even in video capture here, thanks to the discovery that 'HDR video' knocks the extra lens out of action! See what you think in the embedded video below.

Mini-review: XtremeSkins Black Leather for Duo 2

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:33:00 GMT

Yes, yes, more Duo 2 content, but I thought you might like to see my latest XtremeSkins experiment. This is their 'Black Leather' option and is exactly as it sounds. Except that, being a skin and being only £5.50 (you get two sets of skins for £11 under their front page offer), it's not leather, of course. But it's the classic heavily textured leather that you'd want on 'pro' equipment (think Marshall amplifiers and flight cases in general). Yes, it's understated, but it adds a load of texture that helps you grip this expensive smartphone. For Lumia users, think Mozo backs but a heck of a lot less expensive(!)

Surface Duo 2 imaging revamp - tested vs Microsoft's own Lumia 950 XL

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 09:14:00 GMT

The only downside to a manufacturer significantly improving phone camera performance is that I have to re-do one or more of my imaging features on the 'All About' sites. Luckily, I love doing them, so following the January 2022 feature update for the innovative Microsoft Surface Duo 2, I headed out with a brace of test phone cameras to compare it against. Firstly, here, against Microsoft's own older - but still a reliable benchmark - Lumia 950 XL.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Surface Duo 2, in depth on video

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 07:49:09 GMT

It's a pretty fair test, really. Take a Microsoft Surface Duo 2 user and swap out the device for a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 for a few weeks. What will they miss, what will they come to appreciate? And will they want to go back? I've already expressed my own thoughts on foldables, but in the video below, Juan Carlos Bagnell goes through this exact experiment and comes up with a pretty fair evaluation. Plus, a bonus link - it turns out that Ewan Spence (yes, he of this parish many years ago) has also been bitten by the Duo bug, albeit sticking with the recently upgraded original for now.