Microsoft Updates Windows Phone EULA to Highlight Data Collection

December 7, 2011 Windows Phone No Comments

Microsoft has updated the End User License Agreement, or EULA, for Windows Phone with the emphasis on data collection.  This change stems from a couple of things.  First, this new EULA requires that you tap “Accept” which is something that comes from a lawsuit that Microsoft is currently involved in (get more information on this here).  Second, it is a bit of a reaction in light of the Carrier IQ controversy that has been going on over the course of the last week.

The EULA itself is 19 pages long and is… dry? when it comes to reading it.  But it is important as it gives you an idea of what Microsoft is collecting data on.  While there is nothing personally identifiable in the data being sent, it is a lot of data.  But I think that the WPCentral team summed it up best in their post on this earlier today.

What we quickly learn is wow, a lot of info is being sent to Microsoft and it’d take awhile to turn off. But we also learn that information cannot be used to track you, identify you or reveal personal information. In light of the Carrier IQ controversy, Microsoft seems to be showing all of their cards on the matter.

If you want to read the EULA yourself, click this link or just download a new app from Marketplace.

Source:  WPCentral

Twitter Photos now Appearing in The People & Picture Hub on Mango Powered Phones

December 7, 2011 Windows Phone Update No Comments

With the release of Windows Phone 7.5, A.K.A. Mango, one of the new features was integration of Twitter into the People and Picture Hubs.  Up to this point it has worked just fine but it would only display text Tweets, not those with attached images.  It looks like this has changed now.

I started noticing yesterday on my Focus S that when I view the what’s new section in the People Hub that Tweet with photos started actually displaying the photos.  This morning I checked the Pictures hub and sure enough, under what’s new, I see Tweets with photos.

This highlights once again the effort Microsoft is making with Windows Phone to bring all of the social elements of the users life front-and-center in the phone experience.  I for one love it and have to say, with the integration of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Windows Live in Windows Phone, I rarely open the native apps (in the case of Twitter and Facebook) on my phone.  There really isn’t much need.

Let me know if you are seeing this as well on your Windows Phone.  Re-Tweet me at @clintonfitch on Twitter or leave a comment here on the site.

T-Mobile to Update HTC HD7 and HTC Radar Windows Phones December 7th

December 6, 2011 Windows Phone Update No Comments

The unofficial T-Mobile Blog, TmoNews is reporting that the HTC HD7 and Radar will both be receiving updates starting tomorrow, December 7th.

According to the post the updates will primarily be aimed at fixing issues with these Windows Phones on the T-Mobile network.

HD7 features and improvements:

  • Resolves errors with visual voicemail
  • Adds Wi-Fi sharing to the device
  • Allows connecting to hidden Wi-Fi networks

Radar 4G features and improvements:

  • Resolves errors with visual voicemail
  • Can now download and customize ringtones
The updates should begin showing up in Zune as an available update when you connect your HTC HD7 or Radar to your PC.

How To Hard Reset A HTC Titan, Radar and Surround

December 6, 2011 How To No Comments

Yesterday I posted a quick How To on resetting a Samsung Focus, Focus S or Focus Flash using the hardware buttons instead of the built-in reset function of Windows Phone.  It seems that my post generated a lot of questions around the HTC Titan & Radar on how to do it for those devices.  Fortunately it is similar to the Samsung devices.  I have found that this works on the HTC Titan and Radar and a colleague of mine confirmed that it works on the HTC Surround, the 1st generation Windows Phone offered by AT&T.  Remember that a hard reset (or factory reset) completely deletes all of the information on your phone so make sure you have any important information stored on your phone backed up.

  1. Turn the power off on your HTC Windows Phone.  If it is locked and non-responsive, remove the battery to power it off completely.
  2. Press and hold the middle of the Volume button then press and hold the Power button.  Continue to hold these buttons until your phone turns on and displays a text display with various options and information
  3. Use the Volume Down button to highlight the “Factory Reset” option, then press the Power button to select this option.
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions and confirm that you indeed want to reset your phone
That’s it!

 

BoxFiles for Dropbox Gets a Major Update

December 6, 2011 App Update No Comments

The BoxFiles for Dropbox app for Windows Phone has received a major update this morning.

The new 2.5 version brings a host of new features and fixes with full Mango support.

Completely new version of Boxfiles for Dropbox: new user interface, increased speed, integrates with Skydrive so you can get your modified documents back to dropbox, pinch to zoom.

 

 

New 2.5:
-Fixed Skydrive plugin
-Pin to start folders
-Bug fixes

As a user of Dropbox, BoxFiles has become my app for accessing my files on my Windows Phone.  The app is $1.29 and even before this update performed flawlessly.  My testing this morning after this update the new pin feature works fantastically well.  I can now pin regularly accessed folders directly from my Start screen.  Love it!

Get BoxFiles for Dropbox in the Marketplace

 

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