Author: Clinton

The official Amtrak app for Windows Phone has receive a big update today, bringing the ability to view your eTickets and monthly reservations amongst other changes.  The update, version 2.2.0 for those keeping score at home, also brings the ability to purchase tickets right from within the app.  For those outside of the United States, Amtrak is our national rail service and while not nearly as comprehensive as those you would find in Europe, it is pretty good especially if you live in the densely populated East Coast.  Now you don’t have to always go to the Amtrak site while on the go with your Windows Phone.

Amtrak for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

For those of you in the Windows Insider program who are running Windows 10 for Phone, there is a new build out this afternoon and one that you should most definitely get if you are in the Fast Ring.  It comes just 11 days after 10051 was posted.  Build 10052 doesn’t bring any new features nor does it bring the new Office apps but it does have a huge number of fixes and improvements that will benefit everyone.  If you are a Windows Insider and on the Fast Ring, go to Settings>Phone Update and get the latest build.

In a recent earnings call, an AMD executive let it slip that Windows 10 would be shipping to consumers in July of this year.  That would fit nicely into the Microsoft announced “summer” release date that they offered back in February.  Summer is certainly a broad term as technical summer is from June 21st through September 23rd this year and everyone is clamoring for a more definitive date.  The challenge of course is that Windows 10 is still very much in beta as are many individual components of what will be released with the new Operating System.  That to me makes a July release date nearly impossible and in fact I’ll give you five reasons why I don’t think Windows 10 will launch in July 2015.

Developer Rudy Huyn just keeps at it on his various Windows Phone apps and today we see another update to 6Tag, arguably the best Instagram app on the platform.  The update, version 4.1.3 for those keeping score at home, is aimed at improving the memory usage of the app, making it a bit more efficient in its operation on your device.  There are no other changes noted in the Release Notes but if you are a 6Tag user, you should definitely go get this update today.

6Tag for Windows Phone – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

The value priced but powerful BLU Win HD LTE Windows Phone has made its way to the Microsoft Store and is priced at $199 unlocked.  If you don’t remember, this new phone was announced just before MWC this year and is the latest in the lineup from BLU Windows Phones aimed at giving solid mid-range features at an attractive price.  This new phone also eliminates one of the complaints with the BLU Win HD which is that it did not support LTE bands for higher download speeds so at $199, it is a great deal for what it has to offer.

BLU Win HD LTE – $199 – Microsoft Store

The official Amazon for Windows Phone app has received a small but important update today, addressing some bugs within the app and making some performance improvements.  The update, version 2.6.82.1 for those keeping score at home, doesn’t bring any new features but in my testing this morning does have a significant performance boost over the previous build.  If you use the Amazon app on your Windows Phone this update is certainly one to get.

Amazon for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now