MasHD Blog

It almost feel like yesterday when Microsoft officially killed off Windows Phone 7 . The OS , which was severely limited in terms of usage was ironically succeeded with their new Windows Phone 8/8.1 mobile operating system,  which was promised to offer faster updates and support for all device . The operating system , designed with the intention of bridging the gap between Windows RT , smartphones and PC's running the Modern tile UX was initially met with overwhelming support from fans from all sides of the operating system pie , but sadly this fizzled out with the announcement of new iOS and Android smartphones and Microsoft's own "shooting one's own foot" approach they adopted when the Nokia logo was replaced with Microsoft . Although the marketshare of Windows phone is still below 2.5% in most countries (and almost non existent in some) and continues to diminish annually , the platform did reach its height during the period from 2011 - 2014 when the...

Acer's new Liquid Jade Primo is Acers new flagship spec smartphone with Windows 10 mobile . The phone , running on a Snapdragon 808 Soc  features  3GB of RAM and 32GB storage ,unlike the somewhat expensive Lumia smartphones , this packs a $620 price and for that money , you get features like Windows Continuum and 4K video recording . Design wise , the Jade primo has usual indutrial looks and it comes with a 5.5" 1080p amoled pannel .There is also Gorilla glass protection so you dont need to worry muchabout light drops and scratches . A Type C usb port sits below the chassis and this can be connected to another USB C supported monitor for Continuum support . The Jade Primo features a 21MP f/2.2 auto-focus rear camera that features dual LED flash, and  4K video recording. The front camera features a 8mp sensor with 1080p recording .Overall the Jade Primo is a well spec flagship smartphone , but considering that rival handsets feature better specs and a more appealing...

Microsoft's new flagship hardware are finally official , the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL . The Lumia 950XL is Microsofts flagship device  and the Lumia 950 is the less expensive model but Microsoft has a cheaper $139 option called the Lumia 550 . The phone  which is set as  replacement for the Lumia 530 is powered by a Snapdragon 210 Soc clocked to 1.1 Ghz and it also has 1GB of RAM . The phone has 8GB of Storage which is expandable by MicroSD and it packs LTE support as well  .The phone has a 4.7" 720p display and it has a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera listed .Other specs include a 2100 mAh battery and Windows "phone" 10 out of the box. Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - GSMArena

Microsoft's new flagship hardware are finally official , the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL . The Lumia 950XL is Microsoft's flagship device but Microsoft has a slightly affordable option - the Lumia 950 , the phone , made on familiar Nokia designs features a industrial polycarbonate design which comes in very thick color options .The phone replaces the Lumia 930 from almost two years ago and the new model brings Microsoft back in to the smartphone game as it so far had no flagship competitor to meet the Android and iOS competition.The new phone might not be a flagship as the 950XL,but it will certainly hold its ground and still remail cooler as it packs a slower Snapdragon 808 Soc. The Lumia 950 features a 5.2 "AMOLED display with 2560x1440p resolution and it comes with touch buttons rather than using capacitive buttons as the bigger flagship . The phone packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Soc and this features 3GB of Ram on board as well . The phone features a 20MP rear un...

Microsoft's new flagship hardware are finally official , the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL . The Lumia 950XL is Microsofts flagship device , the phone , made on familiar Nokia designs features a industrial polycarbonate design which comes in very thick color options . The Lumia 950XL features a 5.7"AMOLED display with 2560x1440p resolution and it comes with capacitive buttons rather than using touch based buttons . The phone packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Soc clocked to 1.5 Ghz and this features 3GB of Ram on board as well , to prevent overheating , the S810 is surrounded by a paste based liquid cooling system that should work to keep the hot dragon at bay . The phone features a 20MP rear unit with 5th generation optical image stabilization with Zeiss optics . The camera shoots 4K video and it has a 3 LED flash on board . The front of the phone has a 5MP camera which is quite sufficent for all selfie afficinados out there and it also features Microsoft Hello - a infrared scanne...

Microsoft has revealed new details about Windows 10 at a special Microsoft briefing  held today (21st) The new stratergy of windows 10 includes new ways of adding more users onboard by making the OS free for existing users who are already using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on their desktops or laptops . The move however only allows users to have it " Free" for the first year . Windows 10 brings new improvements to the somewhat of a unsuccessful Windows 8/8.1 ,The update brings things like the start button but instead of programs you still get a list of live tiles which is not as bad as the previous version , Cortana is also present in the OS so she can work as a desktop personal assistant .Windows 10 also says bye bye to the good old Internet explorer as it is now kicked down (THIS IS SPAARTAA!!) to the pit of death by the new Spartan browser which brings a Google chrome like interface and more fluidity to the otherwise laggy experience. The browser will have custom the...

Nokia Lumia  is probably the best thing that happened to Microsoft's mobile operating system - Windows Phone , the once proud company was responsible for about 2/3 of the platform's marketshare thanks to some good budget handsets like the Lumia 520 and the Lumia 630 which were best sellers thanks to the quality Nokia construction and the fluidity of the operating system . The flagship Nokia devices however were (and still are) mostly left gathering dust as high end smartphone buyers prefer phones running Android  or iOS. To combat this problem , Lumia - Nokia's new Brandname name under Microsoft , is said to be working on budget handsets and they will skip on Flagships till September (of next year) . Projects like the Lumia 1020 successor - the Lumia 1030 McLaren are said to be scrapped in favor of launching affordable handsets like the Lumia 435 which Certification pictureof the Lumia 435  is rumored to pack a dual core Snapdragon 200 chipset , a 4" display o...

Microsoft has been keeping a good update record for its Windows Phone smartphones after the backslash of Windows Phone 7 . The new crop of Windows Phone 8 devices have gone through 2 major updates and now according to sources , they are set to receive their third major update in the form of Windows 10 . The Windows 10 update is said to bring some major changes to the Windows phone field as it is the first update that is said to remove the "Phone" in Windows phone . The news of the coming update comes from Microsoft's "Lumia" twitter account and it boldly states that all current Windows Phone 8 handsets will receive the update although we are not quite sure as the confirmation is not given by Microsoft , but instead by a affiliated party . The update might rely upon certain hardware capabilities of smartphones and lesser Windows Phone makers might decide to omit the update altogether , but whatever it is , news of having a update for a series of devices that ar...

As of now Microsoft is really busy pasting their brandname on all things "Nokia" .From Websites to Apps , the company is shedding the old Nokia name in favor of calling them either "Lumia" or Microsoft depending on the situation . Nokia Blog , a old site we used to visit for everything new in Nokia's world has been refreshed under the Lumia Conversations , Microsoft also released a new teaser showing a box with a new Lumia handset which is said to be either the rumored Lumia 535 or the mysterious Lumia 1330 handset . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - WMPoweruser

 The wearable market - which includes stuff like Smartwatches , smartbands and fitness accessories are gaining a ton of interest and popularity these days ,.Upto now , Microsoft lacked a proper wearable device for its Windows smartphones , Android and Apple devices have tons of fitness wearable s and they have their own smartwatch platforms so it was time Microsoft had one of its own for Lumia devices . Presenting the new Microsoft Band - this cuff like accessory is priced at $199 and it has 10 sensors to collect fitness data .The Band , which works with Lumia devices (mostly) is also said to work with Apple and Android hadsets after you install its app , the sensor data captured by the device includes UV ,heart rate (BPM) and Stress level data along with GPS information thanks to its built in GPS module , the band can work without a phone and due to its integration with cloud data it can act as a independent unit if you are on the go .The band has Cortana , which can take notes...

Microsoft was having a rough time with Windows 8 , the new Tiled based interface was not favored by many as it lacked a start button and most of the UI worked well on a Tablet rather than a full size computer . The shortcomings of Windows 8 was quickly addressed by Windows 8.1 which offered a reasonable offering that was a lot better than the earlier version , but even after all these additions ,the platform was still lacking in some features that can woo in the users who are still clinging on to Windows 7 , so Microsoft was quickly working on releasing a newer version of Windows - Aka Windows 9 so that they could unify their Mobile platform and their desktop solution to work together ,but as it turns out , Microsoft - for reasons unknown , has decided to jump Windows 9 "aka Windows Threshold" and rename it as Windows 10 . The move is a giant leap as this is the first time Microsoft attempted to "jump" a series , The new Windows 10 is said to include the best of...

Gameloft has two main cash cow titles in its app belt , on one side , you have the modern combat series , and on the other , you have the popular Asphalt series , the Asphalt series is basically a full on arcade style racing game that is almost 9 generations long . The last version , Asphalt 8 was released last year and its was the first Asphalt game to hit the Windows Phone platform . Currently , Asphalt 8 is almost a year old now ,and is in need for a replacement , but the upcoming Asphalt Overdrive , which is said to be a spin off from the heavy Asphalt racing series is not "Asphalt 9" so don't count on it to be spectacular . The game is basically temple run - on wheels , the game works in portrait format , unlike the widescreen ,accelerometer based games in the "real" asphalt series and it requires swipe gestures to turn left and right , the game also has a bit of a GTA Vice City vibe to it and you can buy in-app  purchases if you get really addicted to it...

Nokia/Microsoft landed a perfect hit with the Lumia 520 last year , the affordable phone , which retailed for about $110 in most developing countries proved to be a the "great push" for Windows Phone , which was virtually still at that time . With 12 million units sold , the Lumia 520 , and its US variant - The Lumia 521  made up 30% of all Windows Phone devices sold to date . The phone however has been since replaced by the Lumia 525 and both devices will meet the Axe once the upcoming Lumia 530 is introduced , overall ,Microsoft/Nokia's stratergy of launching affordable Windows Phone handsets payed off , and hopefully , it will keep working in the future  in order to push the platform beyond its stagnant  4% global market share . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Article may be used in other blogs,but please be sure to link this article as a source GSMArena

Apologies for the delay ,this review was originally written on the 3rd of July ,but we weren't able to publish it due to technical issues .Written by Rakitha for MasHD Hear ye , Hear ye , Gameloft has introduced a new game for all yer mobile gamers .dubbed Rival Knights , the game is basically jousting for your phone or tablet .The game basically revolves around the super cool Medieval sport of jousting ,at first you are basically playing as a n00b squire who starts from the bottom of the royalty food chain and slowly make your way to the top . The game is pretty simple to understand and you can compete against rival knights online . anything else ...nope , that's it , no death or glory here ,and even if you lose a match , you don't need to go all Ser Gregor Clegane ( Game of Thrones ) on your horse either , so ..it looks like another fun and enjoyable game from the company that made Asphalt and Modern combat  or is it? Plot ,Gameplay and Controls . Start...

After the anouncement of the new Lumia 930 and 630/635, Microsoft's other handset partners have been busy with theirown Windows Phone 8.1 devices .Today we have a leak showing details about Samsung's own attempt , dubbed the SM-W350F ,this (480 x 800) resolution smartphone is probably one of the first Non Nokia Windows Phone 8.1 devices destined to be launched from the Korean company .Other details about the device are still sketchy , but the low resolution display kind of gives us a hint saying that this device is probably around the same price as the Lumia 630/635 . SammyToday

Nokia's Latest flagship smartphone is finally official- The Nokia Lumia 930. The smartphone is basically a international version of the Verizon only -Nokia Lumia Icon and the specs remain almost untouched in the international version , aka Lumia 930.The phone features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC with 2.2GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of on board storage - with no MicroSd expansion slot. The phones main highlight is its 5" AMOLED display , which is of the 1080p variant and it has Nokia's Clearblack enhancement technology ,  Running on Windows Phone 8.1 the phone is  one of the first devices to come out with the new OS version along with the Lumia 630/635 . The Phone is built around a metallic frame and it has a layer of gorilla glass 3 t protect the display . On the back we have a 20Mp PureView camera which is a 1/2.5” BSI sensor of f/2.4 with Optical image stabilization ,The camera has a dual-LED flash. It is capable of capturing 1080p videos @ 30...

The Nokia Lumia 630 is finally official however little did we know that another smartphone will be launched along side the 630 called Lumia 635 , and now ,since we got to know the new model  ,  lets look at what these duo have to offer. At first glance , the $159 Windows Phone on paper looks to be more of a downgrade from the original 620 especially because it lacks a rear LED flash which was found in its predecessor . However , the New 630/635 is set to appeal to the younger crowds who won't mind much about the rear flash ,but instead want a solid performer and dual sim capabilities and LTE (Lumia 635) . The handsets are all Powered by a 1.2Ghz Quadcore Snapdragon 400 processor and 512MB or RAM , the devices come equipped with a 4.5" FWVGA Clearblack LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 and it features the latest Windows Phone 8.1 OS out of the box ,All devices has 8Gb of onboard storage and it is expandable via MicroSD cards . and they all feature a single 5mp rear camera wit...

A few hours ago ,Microsoft unveiled further details of Microsoft's Mobile OS - Windows Phone 8.1 at its .Microsoft BUILD conference 2014 . Details of the OS were leaked through developers but now we have the real deal . Featuring a personal assistant , a dedicated notification center and custom live tiles , the OS brings a lot of features to further increase the maturity of the mobile operating system ,so lets take a look Cortana Voice Assistant Microsoft has finally got its own voice assistant to compete with Apple's SIRI and Google Now , The system , named Cortana after a Halo character is still in beta . At first , Microsoft was not very concerned about a mobile assistant , but as time went on ,Microsoft realized the importance of having one because wearable technologies like smartwatches and smart glass systems will mostly rely on voice commands . and so , aiming at the future , Microsoft launched their own version with similar and more added functionality to riva...

Although pictures of the Lumia 630 was tweeted out by our favorite web leaker @evleaks last month , the Nokia Lumia 930 was kind of off the grid when it came to leaks ,but now , we have finally got one showing the design and spec improvements that sets the Lumia 930 apart from its predecessors .As you can see from the picture above , the 930 shares the same old square design DNA found in previous Lumia smartphones , the phone shares some similarities with the Verizon exclusive Lumia Icon and we believe that this is the global version of that smartphone .As with the Lumia Icon , the 930 has a 20Mp rear PureView camera  and dual Led Flash ,  the Phone has a metal frame like its Verizon cousin and most of the specs will be similar to it as well  , the Phone however will come in a set of bright colors , and it will be officially unveiled  on the 19th of April . Source - GSMArena

With Microsoft Build event coming up , many of us expected to see the Nokia Lumia 930 and the Lumia 630 there. but , according to the latest rumors, The two smartphones are not going to be unveiled at the event , but instead , Windows Phone 8.1 will be unveiled at the event . The new OS version of Windows Phone is said to arrive on current WP8 devices in early May .As for the two un-anounced smartphones, the Lumia 930 and 630 , Nokia might launch them on a separate event which is rumored to be on the 19th of April according to @evleaks . Source - GSMArena