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Cloud-based services and storage extend the usefulness and capacity of your mobile phone. With a whopping 4.3 inch screen and access to LTE, the Nokia Lumia 900 is the perfect way to access your data in the cloud.

While SkyDrive is built into Windows Phone, and is fully integrated with the Office and camera software, there are alternatives for users with specific needs. Box offers fast, ample storage for your files and lets you access your files on your phone, tablet and computer, and today we’re happy to help announce that Box is available for your Nokia Lumia phone. Now, with Box, you can share your essential files from anywhere.

Box is particularly geared towards business users and is known for high-security storage that integrates high-level encryption and file-based permissions. Also, those who rely upon FTP to help swap files will love to know that Box lets you skip the clunky method of file and folder sharing. Want your co-workers to leave comments on files? Box can do that, too.

Box for Windows Phone makes it possible for users to upload multiple images and videos in a batch, quickly share files and folders as links, find content with integrated search and more.

For those who want to collaborate on your files, Box on Lumia will let you invite colleagues to a shared folder and leave comments on folders. You can even pin a Live Tile to your Start screen to see updates to files by colleagues. Still worried about security? Don’t be: Box lets you can set an application passcode lock.

As you can see, Box is cloud storage taken up a notch. The service goes beyond simple file sharing and allows teams to collaborate, using the files at the center of the experience. IT managers love Box because of the top-notch security.

What’s your cloud storage of choice?  Are you a Box user?

Today Nokia has announced the completion of its acquisition of technologies, developers and intellectual property from Scalado. But why should Nokia fans be excited?

Well: the precise details of the deal are secret. And will probably remain so until they emerge into products.

However, Nokia’s Samuli Hanninen, VP, software program management, was able to share some of the bigger picture around where we plan to take camera phones next.

“We think that imaging is about to go through another major revolution,” he told Conversations.

“Nokia has always been a leader in camera phone technology, from its first camera phone, the Nokia 7650 in 2002, to the first autofocus 12-megapixel camera phone with the Nokia N8, to the huge step forward that came with PureView technology, its unique oversampling and lossless zoom.

“But if you think about it, 100 years ago the early pioneers such as Kodak defined how pictures are taken. A lot has changed in terms of technology, but the basic premise has stayed the same. It has just been about doing the same thing in different ways.

“We’re now at the point where things can change radically. It’s our ambition that phones will be able to capture emotions and distill memories to a far greater extent than they do today.

“One example is the way phones can enrich photos with contextual data. It can know the who, what, where and when behind every picture and use that intelligently. My grandmother used to write notes on the back of the photos in her album – where they were and when; who was there and what they were doing. The power of smartphones can build that into the pictures themselves and offer new ways to relive your memories.

“We can also change the way in which you capture memories. We’re talking about ‘recapturing’ moments. Your photos can contain so much information that you can go back and make new pictures that are completely different, in non-destructive ways – maybe focused on the sunset that was behind your girlfriend’s shoulder in the original.”

The staff joining from Scalado will form a new centre for imaging excellence in Lund, Sweden, alongside the clever folk based in Nokia’s Tampere and Espoo imaging teams who came up with PureView. The Lund team will focus on software to complement the existing hardware genius from the Finnish teams.

The expected results are perhaps best expressed as an equation:

PV + SC = PV^2

Though the latest and greatest camera phones might seem like they’re perfect, we really have only just begun.

It’s hard to imagine what the next generation of Nokia camera phones might be capable of. What do you hope will be the next big innovation?

Smartphones, feature phones, mobile phones. What’s the difference? You may think it’s easy to distinguish between them all, but sometimes there’s not much difference between them. Here’s our breakdown of the three.

As a rule of thumb, the best way to differentiate the three groups is to keep in mind its features and therefore, cost. If a phone just makes a phone call, sends a text message and offers very little else, it’s mobile phone. If it offers a high-megapixel camera, enables you to edit Microsoft Office documents and photos then it’s a smartphone. And anywhere in between is probably a feature phone.

To explain things further, let’s look more in detail about the differences.

Mobile phones

These are usually the most affordable phones on the market. A great example of this is the Nokia 100. While a mobile phone doesn’t come packed with a high-end features, what it does offer is a brilliant battery life. This one has a standby time of 840 hours – well over a month – for example.

A mobile phone is principally there for the crucial jobs; to enable you to make a phone call and the odd SMS. In addition to its affordable price, one of the key reasons this model is so popular in places like Africa is its durable, dust-resistant design. 

Feature phones

Feature phones lie in the ever-contested space between mobile phones and smartphones. They are rich in features, very clearly more advanced than a mobile phone, but not quite so advanced as a smartphone. Often they have built-in cameras sometimes with a fairly high megapixel count. They support apps, game downloads and feature a Web browser. The Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306 and Nokia Asha 311are all feature phones

These particular examples are very close to being smartphones, and by some people’s definitions, they are. For now we’ll stick with Wikipedia’s definition of a smartphone, though: “A smartphone is a mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a feature phone.”

Of course, there’s a problem with this definition. What is “more advanced” changes every year. Ten years ago, having a calendar app would have been enough to get into the smartphone camp. Today, it’s nothing short of augmented reality browsers and HD video capabilities.

Feature phones are perfect for people who want more than just to make a phone call, but possibly don’t want to spend a lot of money on a fully-fledged smartphone. It’s a very good happy medium.

Smartphones

A smartphone is, as we’ve just discussed, a phone that’s at the forefront of current technology.

Current smartphones are capable of taking high-res photos that you can edit right on the phone. You could also create Office documents, edit them and upload them to the Cloud. Smartphones also feature GPS for finding your way around the world, plus much more.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is one example of a smartphone. It’s beautifully crafted, meets most of your needs and is for all intents and purposes a mobile computer

Most people start their phone journey with a mobile phone, as it’s the perfect way to be introduced to new technology. Then, after time, their confidence – and desire – grows and it’s time to upgrade to a feature phone. From here, not everybody takes the leap to smartphone, as feature phones are capable of so much.

However, those that do progress to smartphone do so to always be connected to the things that are important to them, whether it be friends and family on social networks, or to be kept up-to-date with the latest news from around the world, or to just blast some aliens in a high-def online game.

What did you first own? A mobile phone, a feature phone or a smart phone? Let us know, by using the comments section below.

Image credit: Per Olof Forsberg

Cloud-based services and storage extend the usefulness and capacity of your mobile phone. With a whopping 4.3 inch screen and access to LTE, the Nokia Lumia 900 is the perfect way to access your data in the cloud.

While SkyDrive is built into Windows Phone, and is fully integrated with the Office and camera software, there are alternatives for users with specific needs. Box offers fast, ample storage for your files and lets you access your files on your phone, tablet and computer, and today we’re happy to help announce that Box is available for your Nokia Lumia phone. Now, with Box, you can share your essential files from anywhere.

Box is particularly geared towards business users and is known for high-security storage that integrates high-level encryption and file-based permissions. Also, those who rely upon FTP to help swap files will love to know that Box lets you skip the clunky method of file and folder sharing. Want your co-workers to leave comments on files? Box can do that, too.

Box for Windows Phone makes it possible for users to upload multiple images and videos in a batch, quickly share files and folders as links, find content with integrated search and more.

For those who want to collaborate on your files, Box on Lumia will let you invite colleagues to a shared folder and leave comments on folders. You can even pin a Live Tile to your Start screen to see updates to files by colleagues. Still worried about security? Don’t be: Box lets you can set an application passcode lock.

As you can see, Box is cloud storage taken up a notch. The service goes beyond simple file sharing and allows teams to collaborate, using the files at the center of the experience. IT managers love Box because of the top-notch security.

What’s your cloud storage of choice?  Are you a Box user?

A couple of weeks ago, I compared two reference apps, Encyclopædia Britannica and Wikipedia, to decide which one I think was better. This week I’m doing the same with two panorama apps; Photosynth and Ztitch+. How do they compare?

Ztitch+ £0.79

Ztitch+ is an app that captures your environment in full 360º. However, I’ll be straight with you right from the off, I couldn’t work out how to do it. What I did manage, though, was to capture a panoramic image all across the horizon – not the full 360º I had hoped for.

I don’t know whether it’s because a gyroscope is needed in your device, or whether I just did something wrong. But, whatever it was, the instructions and tutorial wasn’t clear enough to explain why this might be. This disappoints me, somewhat.

Regardless of this, let’s look at the usage of the app.

With Ztitch+ you position your subject – usually a landscape – in the centre of your screen. Pressing the screen (or camera button if you’ve got one) starts your panorama capturing.

The first image shifts to the left and becomes almost transparent, leaving the edge of that first image on your screen. Moving your phone to the right and lining up the previous image to the right of the new one, continue the capturing process. Each time you reach the new point in your panorama, you must press the camera button to confirm.

With a complete and full (ahem) 360º panorama, you can now upload it to your Flickr or Facebook account. By doing this, you’ll link that account with your newly created Ztitch.com account. By navigating to your new Ztitch account you can then explore your photo by panning it around your screen and selecting the map button shows you where you took that photo on Bing Maps. You can also do this on your phone.

Due to there being no embed feature, you can check out my linear panoramic photo over at the Ztitch website.

Check out the new Nokia Lumia 900

All about our biggest, thinnest smartphone.

Soon available worldwide

Photosynth £Free

We’ve written about Photosynth before. What it does is similar to Ztitch+ where as it captures the world around you in full 360º.

By standing in one position and moving the camera around you from left to right and up and down, this app automatically captures what it sees from your camera. No button pressing, it just does it. It knows when the next photo needs to be taken by matching the edges of the previous shot up for you. I find that this makes taking a panoramic photo, super-easy.

Once you’ve finished taking your photo, your sharing options are: Facebook; Twitter; Bing Maps; Photosynth.net; Email; and Camera Roll.

Uploading your image to Bing Maps adds your image to a collection of 300,000+ geo-tagged panoramas stored by the Bing Maps team. This is great for sharing famous landmarks with the rest of the world.

Much like Ztitch+, you’ll need to create an account with their site to be able to make full use of their services, like exploring the panorama in a 360º environment and having the option to embed it.

So, two panorama apps with very similar features and usability. However, I do prefer one to the other.

For me, Photosynth wins in the usability and feature comparison. I just couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t able to take full 360º panoramas with Ztitch+. Sure, there might be a reasonable explanation, however in the midst of trying to take a photo I really don’t want to be standing in the middle of a field trying to figure out how to use the app; it needs to be simple to use.

Photosynth’s point and (auto) click does exactly what you want. Take cleverly stitched panoramas just by pulling your phone out of your pocket. No messing about. The image embed feature is just a bonus for me, as it means I can share my images to wider audiences.

What’s your favourite of the two? Let me know, below.

Image credit: Panoramas

Today Nokia has announced the completion of its acquisition of technologies, developers and intellectual property from Scalado. But why should Nokia fans be excited?

Well: the precise details of the deal are secret. And will probably remain so until they emerge into products.

However, Nokia’s Samuli Hanninen, VP, software program management, was able to share some of the bigger picture around where we plan to take camera phones next.

“We think that imaging is about to go through another major revolution,” he told Conversations.

“Nokia has always been a leader in camera phone technology, from its first camera phone, the Nokia 7650 in 2002, to the first autofocus 12-megapixel camera phone with the Nokia N8, to the huge step forward that came with PureView technology, its unique oversampling and lossless zoom.

“But if you think about it, 100 years ago the early pioneers such as Kodak defined how pictures are taken. A lot has changed in terms of technology, but the basic premise has stayed the same. It has just been about doing the same thing in different ways.

“We’re now at the point where things can change radically. It’s our ambition that phones will be able to capture emotions and distill memories to a far greater extent than they do today.

“One example is the way phones can enrich photos with contextual data. It can know the who, what, where and when behind every picture and use that intelligently. My grandmother used to write notes on the back of the photos in her album – where they were and when; who was there and what they were doing. The power of smartphones can build that into the pictures themselves and offer new ways to relive your memories.

“We can also change the way in which you capture memories. We’re talking about ‘recapturing’ moments. Your photos can contain so much information that you can go back and make new pictures that are completely different, in non-destructive ways – maybe focused on the sunset that was behind your girlfriend’s shoulder in the original.”

The staff joining from Scalado will form a new centre for imaging excellence in Lund, Sweden, alongside the clever folk based in Nokia’s Tampere and Espoo imaging teams who came up with PureView. The Lund team will focus on software to complement the existing hardware genius from the Finnish teams.

The expected results are perhaps best expressed as an equation:

PV + SC = PV^2

Though the latest and greatest camera phones might seem like they’re perfect, we really have only just begun.

It’s hard to imagine what the next generation of Nokia camera phones might be capable of. What do you hope will be the next big innovation?

Aplikacja do zamawiania taksówek poprzez smartfony będzie dostępna w Play już w lipcu 2012 r. iTaxi – to jedyny system w kraju łączący bezpośrednio pasażerów i kierowców taksówek.  - To duże wyróżnienie, że możemy grać w jednej drużynie z siecią Play. Mówiąc po piłkarsku, nasza taktyka i filozofia gry w obszarze rozwiązań mobilnych jest bardzo podobna. Wierzymy, [...]

Aplikacja do zamawiania taksówek poprzez smartfony będzie dostępna w Play już w lipcu 2012 r. iTaxi – to jedyny system w kraju łączący bezpośrednio pasażerów i kierowców taksówek.  - To duże wyróżnienie, że możemy grać w jednej drużynie z siecią Play. Mówiąc po piłkarsku, nasza taktyka i filozofia gry w obszarze rozwiązań mobilnych jest bardzo podobna. Wierzymy, [...]

As a young boy Quinn Damerell enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together again.

What started with ‘monster creations’ using Lego many years ago, has lead to an acclaimed Windows Phone app called Baconit that was recently voted app of the year in the inaugural Community App Awards.

The app is a mobile client for Reddit, a popular social and user generated website that provides links to articles around the web that other Reddit users have liked.

According to its developer, Baconit is the first Reddit client on any mobile platform to have full synchronisation between the website and a phone.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Quinn, 23, was born in Indiana and has just graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Computer Science. In August he will be moving to Seattle to start a new job with Microsoft on their Windows Phone team.

He spoke with Conversations about Baconit, why he prefers developing for Windows Phone and why he can’t make up his mind between the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Lumia 900.

Where did your interest in programming and computers come from? 

I’ve always liked to take things apart. As a kid we would walk to the park and one time we found this old radio that someone had put out. I would make use of anything that was broken with all kinds of buttons that you could push and play with. So I’ve always saved things and taken them apart. 

Growing up, I think that all translated to computers. I liked messing about with them and got really intrigued by programming.

Before I even started on mobile, I programmed a few apps, which I enjoyed but no one ever got to use them because they were just on my personal site that no one knew about. With a mobile platform you can get your work out. 

How would you describe Baconit?

It’s a Reddit client, but a lot of people don’t know what Reddit is and that’s a hard thing to explain on its own.

Reddit is a website where people send stories and submit content, and other users rate them. So the stuff that people like gets pushed to the top.

Then when you have your own account you can create subreddits for things you like, for example Windows Phone, technology or programming. People can then submit stories to those as well.

Your front page becomes a culmination of all the subreddits you like – your personalised news feed of sorts. 

Baconit is a full featured, completely integrated WP client for Reddit. It displays everything that you see on the Reddit website but on a nice mobile interface. You can subscribe or unsubscribe to subreddits, check messages and do all kinds of stuff.

What was the inspiration behind Baconit?

I got my Windows Phone and the first thing I realised was that there wasn’t really a Reddit client that I enjoyed. There were three on the market already but they were slow and they didn’t work on Mango yet.

So I was using them but I told my friends that I bet I could make a better client than this because you couldn’t upload or download from the list of stories.

I made a mock up real quickly one night in October or November last year and everyone said, ‘oh, that’s pretty cool, you should make it’ so I made Baconit 1.0, which came onto the Market on December 25^th. That was a very basic version and from there I have been improving it and rolling out new features.

What is the future plan for Baconit?

I’m really looking forward to porting Baconit to Windows Phone 8 because I love the Live Tiles and I can’t wait to use them for Baconit.

I love the new start screen because I have always wanted to change the size of the tiles. So I’m really looking forward to all the potential of WP8 and to make Baconit that much richer. 

What Windows Phone do you have?

I have a Lumia 800 and I really like it. My girlfriend has a Lumia 900 and I really want one too but I love the curve glass thing on the 800. I really want the big screen on the 900 though so I’m really torn between the two.

Going on holiday is supposed to be a pleasure but, let’s be honest, we have all had trips when it’s been a pain.

The potential for things to go wrong when you are in a strange and foreign land is almost limitless.

However, your Nokia Lumia can ensure that you are as well prepared as possible.

Whether you are lost, need to find a hotel at short notice or need some help with translation, we have selected ten apps to help you on your holiday. 

Don’t forget your passport and don’t forget to pack these apps!

XE Currency, FREE

Being a tourist and haggling in a local market can be really good fun. It’s less fun when you realise that you’ve got your sums wrong and paid far too much for some tacky holiday keepsake.

Guard against such mistakes with the XE Currency converter.  Set your ‘Home’ currency and then see what your money is worth against 10 other currencies. 

You can get live rates for the very latest and most accurate conversions, but you can also use this app offline.

WorldTime, FREE

Trying to get my head around world time zones is enough to give me a headache. Who wants to have a headache on holiday?

A couple of nice features on this app are its nice map interface and also that it allows you to pin one or two Live Tiles on your start screen. 

ConnectivityShortcuts, FREE

This is an extremely useful app to have anyway, but even more so when you are abroad.

You should be aware that data roaming charges are often expensive, so it can be best to use Wi-Fi wherever possible. You might even want to turn off your cellular data so you’re not confronted with a nasty bill when you get home.

This app offers shortcuts to your Lumia’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular and Airplane Mode connectivity options. You can pin all or some of these to your start screen. 

TripAdvisor, FREE

On any holiday, your time is limited so an app like this is helpful to ensure you are staying at a decent hotel and making the most of every meal at a good restaurant.

TripAdvisor has over 50 million reviews from fellow travellers that can help you to find the best places to eat or stay.

It also has a handy ‘Near Me’ function so, wherever you are, you can get the best recommendations.

Museums Mobile, FREE

No trip overseas is complete without absorbing a little local culture and history.

This app offers up-to-date information about museums, exhibitions and cultural events in cities around the world.

Each featured museum has information such as opening times, location, galleries and reviews, which you can write as well, if you are so inclined.

Using GPS, it can also show you museums that are closest to you.

SOStravel, FREE

This app definitely falls into the ‘better safe, than sorry’ category.

Search by continent and by country to find contact numbers for the local emergency services, such as police, fire and ambulance.

A simple app and hopefully you’ll never have to use, but it could be invaluable all the same.

 Tripit, FREE

Back in the olden days, i.e. before I got my Nokia Lumia 800, I was accompanied on each and every trip by a transparent plastic folder.

Inside this folder were travel tickets, hotel reservation print outs, maps and the like.

Tripit is an app, which allows you to carry all this crucial information on your phone instead.

Unlike the plastic folder, Tripit can also send you alerts when your flight is delayed or the departure gate has been changed.

Translator, FREE

There are plenty of other free translator apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace but this one has the best reviews and it is easy to see why.

Speak a word or phrase into your Lumia and listen to the app give you a translation in a native accent.

Take a picture with the Lumia’s camera of a street sign or some text and this app will translate it for you.

Or, simply type in some text yourself and get it translated that way.

You can also download language packs to use the app when you’re offline.

Wikitude, FREE

This is an augmented reality (AR) based browser that comes into its own when you’re on holiday. 

Hold your Lumia’s camera up to a landmark and the AR browser will tell you what you are looking at and give you easy access to information, reviews and other interactive content, from sources such as Twitter, YouTube and Wikipedia.

This app can also be used to explore places of interest around you. For example, searching for a restaurant or a coffee shop.

Track My Life, FREE

It would be remiss of me not to mention that for mapping and transport tools, you really can’t get much better than Nokia Maps and Nokia Transport.

But this is a mapping app with a difference that could be especially informative when you’re on holiday.

By running in the background of your smartphone, this app will tell you where you have been, for how long and how far you have travelled.

So after a long day sightseeing, when you felt you must have walked miles, now you will have the proof to show for it.

Which apps are indispensable when you go on holiday? Let us know in the comments below. 

Image credit: The Aslier