The writing has been on the wall for Windows Phone for a very long time. It had long struggled to achieve more than one or two percentage points of market share; Microsoft wrote-off its Nokia hardware business in 2015; the company exited the consumer market in May; and even Bill Gates recently admitted he’d switched to an Android phone … The company had done everything but officially admit it was all over – and it’s now effectively done this in a tweet yesterday by the head of Microsoft’s mobile business, Joe Belfiore....

Microsoft had an year or so to keep using the Nokia brand for its mobile devices, and it’s understandable that Microsoft wants to disassociate from Nokia’s branding ASAP. But what’s more interesting is that the company is shying away from Windows Phone branding as well. Microsoft is planning not to use the Windows Phone logo in promotions and commercials, instead it will be replaced with just Windows. In fact, the change in branding has already started....

I asked Microsoft for some of the app titles that were added to the collection; no word back so far. The full set of Windows 11 features that begin rolling out today includes: Although Microsoft announced last year that it would deliver only one feature update per year to Windows 10 and 11 users starting this year (with the 22H2 releases coming around October), today’s blog post about the new features indicates that Microsoft is planning to continue to roll out new features independently of this annual update....

Microsoft is hoping to persuade more developers to create Windows apps by bringing its main coding environment – Visual Studio – to the Mac for the first time. Previously, developers had to use a Windows machine or run a virtual machine on a Mac to write Windows software. The company seemingly intended to make the announcement at its Connect() developer conference on Wednesday, but The Verge spotted that Microsoft accidentally released the information early in a now-deleted blog post....

Microsoft Turns to Crispin and the Rapper Common for New Clothing Line New branded apparel is meant to suggest Microsoft’s 1980s salad days. It’s no surprise that Crispin Porter & Bogusky—the agency Microsoft is relying on to make it cool—had a hand in the line of urban geek shirts expected to hit select stores on December 15. Crispin conceived of the collection, the branding and many of the designs, as well as all the marketing materials, an agency representative said…...

After waiting for months, Google has finally unveiled the latest Android 9 Pie and started rolling out in Essential Phones and Pixel devices on the last Monday itself. Google will soon roll out updates for its Android Beta program smartphones as well as Android One smartphones. Wondering about which Motorola smartphone will get Android Pie update? We compiled a list of all the Moto smartphones and provided an estimated date when the users could expect to get Motorola Android Pie update for their respective smartphones while those who aren’t eligible will have to stay put with their own supported Android versions....

Windows 8 Photo and PDF Reader Apps Pictures open in the new Photos app, which in itself isn’t a terrible way to view them. It’s basic, and works fine on a tablet or smartphone. But it can be cumbersome and clunky on a traditional PC when you’re trying to get work done in the Desktop. Windows 8 Reader is also simple and basic PDF app best suited for a mobile device....

Earlier this month, Apple began airing a new HomePod ad directed by filmmaker Spike Jonze and featuring dancer FKA Twigs. Today, AdWeek shares an interesting look at the behind-the-scenes work that went into making the ad. The four-minute film titled “Welcome Home” begins with FKA Twigs arriving home after a stressful day and playing music on a HomePod, a slow start that quickly builds into a lively ad filled with color and dancing....

Manjaro was first released in July 2011. It features a rolling release model that means you can apply updates/upgrades without reinstalling the operating system. Its focus on making it easy to use for Windows and Mac users lets us control the entire system from the GUI settings manager. Changing desktop wallpapers to upgrading system kernel is all possible through the Manjaro settings manager. Manjaro comes packed with all necessary applications, including Firefox, Thunderbird, Pidgin IM, and many more....

A new Mario Kart mode removes Waluigi from his kart and makes him race against other opponents on foot. The character has been at the source of a number of memes and the like ever since his debut in Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64. Lately, gamers have been rallying to see Waluigi join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, despite the fact that he appears as a summonable assist character in the game....

The much-awaited Marvel’s Avengers is an upcoming action-adventure video game that currently runs on Early Beta that offers stunning Marvel adventure. It’s co-developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal & published by Square Enix in 2020. Now, according to the players, they’re getting Marvel’s Avengers failed to join session error while trying matchmaking with others online. Are getting the same error message? If yes, then check out the troubleshooting guide below....

The Soul Stone was the most secretive Infinity Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, but did Thanos (Josh Brolin) actually use its power more than originally believed? The Mad Titan collected all six of the powerful relics over the course of the movie, and repeatedly put their powers on display. Previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movies already established the existence and location of five of the Stones, leaving only the Soul Stone to be revealed during the film....

Mass Effect is easily one of the most successful sci-fi third person shooter video game franchises. Debuting in 2007, the latest installment titled Mass Effect: Andromeda is currently available for pre-order and will be released on March 21st of this year. It will be available of PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Now Mass Effect is branching out beyond the world of video games and onto table tops. Founding developer BioWare has announced that there will soon even be a Mass Effect expansion for the popular table top party game, Cards Against Humanity....

At Microsoft’s event today it unveiled a huge array of ambitious and interesting tech which should be enough to make Apple stand up and take notice. The once-giant of the consumer electronics world has had to reinvent itself over the past couple of years, and judging from today’s event, it’s doing enough to get people interested again at the very least. At best, it could transform the way we see technology and computing....

Windows will now remember if users turn on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi when in airplane mode so that next time users select airplane mode, their preferences will be carried over. Windows Sandbox now supports reboots inside virtualized environments. Three high-priority notifications will now be shown as stacked and shown at the same time for apps that send notifications for calls, reminders or alarms using Windows notifications. This capability is also being rolled out staggered, so all testers won’t see it immediately....

Solitaire Returns Sure, you could get the new modern apps from the Windows Store, but for fans of these classic games, it’s just not the same. But now, just in time for Solitaire’s 25th anniversary, the company has returned returned it. In the latest Windows 10 tech preview, build 10061, which was released this week. To find it, go to Start > All Apps > Microsoft Solitaire Collection Preview. Not all versions or themes are available yet, but, you do get the classic theme to add the extra dash of nostalgia....

Mobile Legends has launched new characters in the game with unique skill sets and capabilities. Knowing these characters in detail will help you better relate to them and prepare them for one-on-one game battles. The game is getting quite popular due to the challenging nature of the gameplay. Since each character has different powers, knowing their characteristics is essential. Today we will discuss Mobile Legends Johnson Guide 2023 and its Best Build and Emblem....

Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty has added AAPL to its Best Ideas list of investments, saying that increased margins from iPhone 6 sales see the stock “set for significant upside.” While Credit Suisse had earlier suggested that margins on the iPhone 6 would be lower than that of the iPhone 5s and 5c, Huberty says that numerous sources are suggesting that more people this time are opting for the middle storage tier, thus pushing up both average selling price and margins … Both Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley agree that the iPhone 6 Plus offers significantly higher margins due to rather small differences in manufacturing costs between the two models....

The cast of Mortal Kombat has grown a bit bigger now that the film has found its Liu Kang, Mileena, and Jax Briggs. Mortal Kombat made its way onto the market in 1992 as an arcade game, but since then there have been several console games as well as a few movies. Even though the 1995 Mortal Kombat and the 1997 Mortal Komat: Annihilation failed to hit the mark with fans and critics, New Line Cinema is now trying to reboot the series....

Thomas Reed, lead researcher at Malwarebytes, told us that he found the malware on a scam page hosted on the official Advanced Mac Cleaner website … It does rely on a naive user approving a request to install Advanced Mac Cleaner on their machine, but doing so also installs a second app known as Mac File Opener. Reed said that it wasn’t initially obvious how the app could force users to launch it....