Category Archives: Windows Phone

How to install Windows 10 for Phone Tech Preview

Windows 10 for phone Technical preview is out for the Lumia 635 mobile. This blog describes the step by step procedure for installing the windows 10 for phone. Before installing Technical preview make sure the phone is updated to latest Denim update. The windows 10 for phone requires Denim update to be installed.

Once the Denim update is installed install the Windows Insider app http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/windows-insider/ed2b1421-6414-4544-bd8d-06d58ee402a5

Sign up on the insider program here https://insider.windows.com/ I signed up using the same live id which I used to login to the Phone.

Once the Windows Insider Program app is installed run the app in the phone.

When you run the App login with the live id.

Select the option you like to get the Update. In my case I selected the Insider Fast option.

Once you select the option the accept the terms

Select the Insider Fast and tap the button at the bottom. This will restart the phone. Then go to settings, Update and check for Update. This will start downloading the update for Windows 10 for phone.

After downloading the update install the update

Install the update. This will install the windows 10 for phone. The install took around 20 minutes.

After you tap done the start screen will appear

Windows 10 for Phone Tech Preview Known Issues

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Windows 10 for Phone is released now. You can get more information about it from here. Before you download and upgrade the OS please go through the known issues in the Windows 10 for phone Tech preview.

Issue	Workaround
Existing alarms will not be migrated to Windows 10	Reset alarms after upgrade
Wi-Fi settings don’t roam when phone is upgraded to Windows 10	Manually set Wi-Fi settings when on Windows 10
VPN not available in current Windows 10 builds. Setting will fail to launch. Coming in a future update	–
Additional language keyboards may not be present and may not be able to install on US builds after upgrading to Windows 10	Reopen the Windows Insider app and re-select Insider Fast/Slow again. The download of keyboard packages will then work
Photos app will fail to launch periodically when attempting to add a photo attachment to an email, OneNote or Facebook item.	Try again. Succeeds after a few attempts.
Quiet Hours is missing the automatic rule that enables Quiet hours during calendar appointments marked busy. Also the setting “Anyone breaks through if they call 2 times in 3 minutes” us unchecked but enabled.	–
Apps are not displayed in Battery saver after the upgrade.	–
Access Point Names (APNs) in recovery images can fall out of date. For some phones/networks, this will block the cellular data and MMS capabilities of a phone when recovering back to the base image.	Before using the Windows Mobile Recovery Tool to recover, record the specific APN settings on your phone. Set manually once phone restored
Cellular data not working while roaming, despite enabling data roaming	The setting doesn’t work the first time it’s enabled. Turning off and then turning on again will enable data while roaming
Using a Bluetooth headset while playing back video results in low frame rate for video, due to a bug in the interaction between video playback and Bluetooth.	Use wired headset for listening to audio when playing videos.
Sync to Microsoft Band doesn’t work after updating to Windows 10. If you have your phone synced to Microsoft band, it will not pair after the update to Windows 10.	After upgrade to Windows 10, go to Bluetooth settings, un-pair the Microsoft Band device and re-pair it.
DataSense resets data use history on upgrade to Windows 10.	No workaround. Will calculate correctly after the reset.
Trying to set lock screen picture will fail at times	Re-attempt the operation.
After upgrade, tapping on “Playlist” from start screen or from within Music App fails to play music. Playlists are greyed out.	–
Cortana tile and settings are missing on the start screen after upgrade	Go to app list and re-pin the tile

Draw Visio from Mobile Using Azure Remote App

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This blog article describes how to access Azure Remote App from windows phone 8.1. Using the remote app feature now you can able to draw Visio diagram from the mobile.

First configure the Azure RemoteApp with your Azure Account. Follow the steps in the URL http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/remoteapp-create-cloud-deployment/

After provisioning the Remote App you can see the publishing applications as below

The new Azure Remote App will have the Url https://www.remoteapp.windowsazure.com/ to login from the desktop client.
Now go to your Windows Phone. Open the Store app and search for the Remote Desktop app. Download the Remote Desktop App to your mobile.

After installing the Remote Desktop app launch the app in the Mobile. The welcome screen will come up for the App. Use the + button at the bottom to add the new connection to the Azure RemoteApp. In the Add New screen select the Azure RemoteApp.

Select the connect option to connect to the Azure Remote App. Use the live Id which is used to provision the Azure Remote App. You can also use the live id which was granted access in the RemoteApp User Access section on the Azure.

Once you login you can see all the apps which are available to remote login. Select the Visio from the list to launch the Visio App.

Now you can use the visio to draw any diagram. You can also edit the existing diagram. Use the Mouse Pointer option or touch to draw the diagram.

When you Tap on the top Work Resources the below screen will open with the option on the left and right. The left menu is to close the application. The right menu is to change from mouse to touch and vice versa. I am very comfortable in using Touch to draw. So I use touch always. It is up to you to choose which one to draw. If you are using mouse pointer use two finger to tap on the screen to show the right context menu.

Once you finish drawing you can save the diagram to the Cloud OneDrive to retrieve to local machine. The OneDrive will be available on the live id which is used to login to the app.

So using the Azure Remote App there are several other Microsoft Office application available to use. Even MS project is available in the remote app to create the mpp file.

Cortana – When I am at Ikea Remind Me…

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How to add Favorite Location, to be able to use in Location based reminder by Cortana

Launch the Maps app. Tap on the … menu on the bottom of the Maps app. You would see Favorite places option. Tap that to add your favorite places.

The favorites will have + icon at the bottom of the page. Use the + to add your favorite place.

Once you tap + icon the below screen will appear. Type the place you want it to search. Once you find the place select it from the drop down. This will pop up the next screen for Nick Name.

You can choose whether the place is Home or work or other. If you choose Home it will tag it to home and Cortana can use Home for reminder and other info. Same as Work. To add Ikea to be a favorite place select the “other” option and type the name Ikea on the Nick Name.

Once added as location good to use it with Cortana.

Now you can say to Cortana “When I am at Ikea remind me Kitchen Items

Cortana – Useful Commands and App Integration

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I use Cortana a lot to do some of the reminder tasks and the activation of Apps. Nowadays there are several apps which are integrated with Cortana for the easy access. Some of the frequently used commands are below

Action to do	Cortana	Setup Required?
Set a reminder	Remind me to Water the plant at 10 am	No setup required
Set alarm	Wake me up at 8 am
Set reminder based on location	When I am at Work remind me to submit claim form	Yes, Need to add Work as favorite in Map
Set reminder based on location	Next time I am at Ikea remind me to check kitchen accessories	Yes, Ikea to be in favorites on Map (see below)
Based on Nick Name of location	When I am at Grocery remind me to check shopping list	Grocery needed to be added as a Nick name in Fav maps. (See below)
Set Reminder based on person	When my Wife call me remind me to say school teacher spoke	Yes, Set Nick Name with Inner circle
Find the song / music which is playing around us, similar to soundhound app	What’s playing right now?	Yes, Works only in US. Make sure you logged in to Xbox music in web at least once.
Take a note immediately	Note: Remember to send MOM later	No
Play the play list from Xbox Music	Play <playlist> name	Playlist to exist in xbox music
Finding a restaurant	Find best Indian Restaurant near me	No
Finding restaurant which is open at the time of asking Cortana.	Find restaurant that is open now near me	No
Find specific place	Is there a Starbucks near me?	No
Money conversion	Convert 1 Singapore dollar to Indian rupee	No
Calling nick names	Call Boss Mobile	Yes, make sure Boss nick name added in inner circle. Learn More
Calling on speaker mode	Call wife on speakerphone	Wife to be a nick name. Learn More

Action to do	Cortana	App Name
Use Facebook command, to see news feed from a person	Facebook what’s up with Joel Oleson	Facebook
To check the next MRT train in Singapore	Sing MRT open Jurong East	SingMRT
Skype call	Skype video call Senthamil	Skype
Remote desktop connection	Remote Desktop connect Production Server	Remote Desktop. Make sure Production Server is created in the connection list
Lync meeting	Lync join next meeting Lync show current meeting	Lync
Create new tweet	Twitter new tweet	Twitter

How to get Music Playing which is around us (like soundhound App)

Launch the Cortana by tapping the search button

The music icon on the top right corner. If you cannot see this try logging into the xbox music both on phone and in web and restart the phone. Also it is available only in US. You can also use the text to type “Whats playing right now?” in the search text.

How to add Favorite Location, to be able to use in Location based reminder by Cortana

Launch the Maps app. Tap on the … menu on the bottom of the Maps app. You would see Favorite places option. Tap that to add your favorite places.

The favorites will have + icon at the bottom of the page. Use the + to add your favorite place.

Once you tap + icon the below screen will appear. Type the place you want it to search. Once you find the place select it from the drop down. This will pop up the next screen for Nick Name.

You can choose whether the place is Home or work or other. If you choose Home it will tag it to home and Cortana can use Home for reminder and other info. Same as Work. Other option is to have custom Nick Name for the place. Example in my case I usually tag the NTUC to be Super Market and Mustafa to be Grocery. The Nick name used here can be used by Cortana to assign reminder.

Once added as location good to use it with Cortana.

Now you can say to Cortana “When I am at Ikea remind me Kitchen Items

Hide Private Apps when you give your phone to someone

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Windows Phone 8.1 comes with one of the nice feature which is called App Corner. App Corner allows to select only the app which a person allowed to see in the Phone. This feature is very useful when you give a phone to someone to just see or give them to just make a call.

It allows to hide all the private apps and pictures from viewing to the person you giving the phone to.

Example: Sometime some of my friend might ask me to give the phone to just make a call to someone if their phone is not working. So at that time if we unlock the phone and give them they might sneak into whatsapp message, pictures and other private apps. To avoid that i set up the App corner and allow only Phone feature to be visible and give it to them.

Note:

To have the apps corner on phone you need to have windows phone 8.1 update. Make sure you have Software: Windows Phone 8.1 Update

How to enable Apps Corner

Open settings, you can see apps Corner after VPN. Make sure you are in system settings

Once the apps corner is opened you can see the options in it. You can tap on apps to select the app to be allowed. In my case below i allowed only 3 apps which are calculator, phone & photos. Remember when you allow Photos the share feature will be enabled through which whatsapp can be seen by them

Tap on the apps to select the apps you want to allow. Once you check and select tap on back button to go back to apps corner page

Once you come back to apps corner page you can scroll down to see more options. It includes whether u want to show Action center, settings etc. You can use that. Also there is a Advanced button option to disable few more options.

Once you finish with the selection tap the Arrow button at the bottom to launch the app corner.

After launching you can see only allowed apps in the Phone. I allowed only 3 apps. So can see only 3 apps.

To come out of the apps corner Hold the power button to see the below like option

Then swipe right to go back to lock screen.

The apps you have selected will be saved and remembered on the apps corner. The app selection is one time. You can even pin the apps corner to the tile so that can be launched from start screen. Once you tap the apps corner from start tile it takes you to the same first screen you see at top of this blog. Then tap the arrow button to launch.

I use this feature many times if i give my phone to someone to just make call.

How to make Cortana to call relation (Brother, Sister… )

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Windows Phone 8.1 comes with so many new features. One of the feature is the Cortana, personal assistance. Cortana has several functions to be able to make the Windows Phone Unique among other smart phones.

In this blog we discuss on how to Make Cortana to call by the relation name or the Nick name you choose for the contact. To use this feature you need to activate the Cortana first. There are several blogs which explains you how to activate Cortana on your phone. After you activate the Cortana use the below steps to set the nick name or the relationship names

Launch the Cortana by tapping the Search hardware button

Tap the right upper corner three line. That will launch the below screen with the options for Cortana

Tap the inner circle option from the list. The below screen will come up. It allows to add any contact in the list to assign a nick name. Tap the + button at the bottom of the screen to show the contacts.

After you tap the + button it will present you the contact list

Select the contact and type the Nick name to be called. Ex: Selewct your Wife name and set it as Wife. Or brother name set it as Brother. You can set any nick name so that Cortana can call by that. You can add 3 nickname to single person.

Tap done once you add the name. In my example above i have set Boss, Manager for the contact Aragon. So when i say Call my Boss to Cortana then she can call Aragon.

Launch SQL, Visual Studio Using Remote Desktop App from Windows Phone 8.1

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Windows Phone store has now Remote Desktop App, which can be used to connect to any machine in the network. The remote desktop app helps to launch SQL, launch visual studio and even connect to windows server 2012 and do several admin related tasks.

This blog shows how to configure the Remote Desktop for the Azure Machine and launch SQL, VS from the the Remote machine.

Step 1:

Download the Remote desktop app from the Windows Phone Store.

Step 2:

Launch the Remote desktop App from the Phone. When you launch the app all the saved connection will be shown.

Step 3:

Tap the + on the bottom of the screen to add the new connection. Select the Desktop option for adding the new Remote Machine.

Step 4:

General: Gives the option to add machine IP / Name. Enter the machine name ex: azuremachine.cloudapp.net.

Step 5:

Drop down the credential to add user name and password.

Step 6:

Enter the credential to save. This user name and password will be used to login to the machine.

Step 7:

Use the Advanced option to enter the friendly name for the Machine. Save the settings.

Step 8:

Now a new Remote Machine is added. The added new machine name is Azure Win7. The remote desktop will connect to the Windows 7 client machine.

Step 9:

Now tap the newly added connection to connect to the Windows 7 client. Once connected you can see the login screen. The windows 7 client desktop can be seen. Similarly if you connect to windows 2012 server then the server desktop will be seen.

Once logged in you can use any program inside to launch.

Menu Options

When you tap the top bar the left and right menu option will be shown in the Remote desktop. The left option allows to disconnect the RDP. The right option will allow to use the Mouse Pointer inside the system.

Launch App

Using the mouse pointer we can move around the desktop client and launch any application inside the client. In my case the Visual Studio can be launched.

Show Keyboard

When you tap the keyboard on the top to open the keyboard

Windows Phone 8 Features Announced

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Lumia 920

Tile Resize – Can resize the home screen tile small, medium large.
Lock Screen – Can add a facebook album to the lock screen. Add any album to see picture changing. Redesigned Lock screen notification area.
Data sense – Browsing uses very less data. All data compressed. The map shows nearby Wifi to use it. Data sense app to show data usage. It can show each app data usage to find the most data used app.
Skype – Always On without running code behind and use very less power.
Pandora – Pandora app will be available for free unlimited music with Ad free. 46 out of 50 most wanted Apps will be available in WP8 like temple run, Angry bird star wars etc.
Daddy Can i play? – Kids Corner separate space for Kids. Ability to choose app, game and music for kids. It will not affect the normal app and data and contacts in the phone. Safe to give it to kids.
Rooms – Now Rooms can have more private message, calendar, updates and more. Room calendars can be shared to iPhones. Family room will be default available in WP8.
Skydrive – New skydrive which can synch Music, Docs, Pics and Notes. Xbox Music can synch playlist and album. Office document can be opened where it was left before in any windows devices. Editing document in multiple device is easy. One Note will have Voice commands. Pictures can be saved auto to Skydrive.

Windows Phone 7 App Story

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There are several features which makes windows Phone 7 to be my best smartphone. None of the smartphone has the features which i am going to discuss in the below blog.

1. Less touch more information – Live Tiles

2. People Hub

3. Message Hub

4. Deep Linking

Less Touch More Information – Live Tiles

With windows phone 7 accessing the calendar information, Facebook notifications, App notifications is much easier with the less touch. Just one click on the power button will show the calendar event on the wallpaper. Its easy to see the next meeting. No need to login to the phone with password and open the calendar.

The below shows the front wallpaper with Calendar event, Missed calls, Outlook and personal email notifications

Once login to the phone with passcode, the front screen has the live tiles. Each tile is a living and breathing tile. The tile will keep update the information at the background. Just login can see all information without opening any App.

Ex:

If you have pinned the SGTransport App to the start without opening the App can see the Next bus timing. The SGTransport app will allow to Pin the particular Bus number and the Bus stop. Without even opening the app the tile will update the Next bus timing.
Similarly Nokia App Highlight App will update the app list on the tile.
NDTV App will update the latest news to the Tile. Without opening the App we can see the latest news.
4th & Mayor allows to pin a particular restaurant / place to start. Any new comments, photos or updates happens in that place will be updated in the Tile
Flixster app live tile will show the latest movie update on the tile.
Nokia Transport will have live tile support for the best route
Weather app can update the live tile with the latest weather for a particular city
Gold Price app can update the live tile with the latest price.
Custom Tiles Maker app can create fancy tiles on front and back. The tiles can also be used to launch custom application.

So if those apps are pinned to start just by login without touching anything all tiles will give every information we need. There is no need to open the App to see the info.

Fig – 1: The below tiles can update the information. Top is the 34 Bus Number which can update the bus arrival time. The first column in second row tile updates the latest NDTV news on tile. The second column Tile updates the Gold Rate on tile. The Third row tile update the Weather in Singapore. The second column on third row is the Place pinned from 4th & Mayor which can update My Office Information, details on Tips and photos. Can launch my place on Foursquare directly and check in easily. The fourth row first column is the Shopping App which can update the number of items to shop. The count decreases once i add the item. The second column fourth row is the exchange rate. It updates the currency rate on the Live tile.

Fig – 3: The live tiles shows the

Number of missed calls (1st row 1st col)
Shows the images of people who are active in FB (1st Row 2nd Col)
Number of un read Outlook and Hotmail Accounts. (2nd Row )
Number of Facebook/linked in/twitter/Windows Live Updates (3rd Row 1st Col)
Number or SMS / Windows messenger / Facebook messages (3rd Row 2nd Col)

Fig – 1 Fig – 2 Fig – 3

People Hub

Windows Phone 7 is resource hungry and the data craving smartphone. It grabs every information from all sources like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Yahoo, Windows Live and Gmail. The People tile will update live active people picture in the start. When a people hub is open it gets every information like email, address, phone, city, country, notes whichever available from different source. Just one slide on people hub it takes you to Facebook Wall, Linked In, Windows Live updates aggregated in a single view.

Without using any App it has aggregated information of all data in a single place

Message Hub

Windows Phone 7 allows to chat in Facebook, Windows Live and SMS text in a single place. The user can switch between these in just one touch and keep chatting with them in the same conversation thread. It is one of the best feature i like. I can just be online in Facebook, Yahoo, Windows Live without even launching any App. Chatting with friends is never been very easy as in WP7.

Deep Linking for an App

Depends on the App, a particular page in an app can be pinned to the start screen. For example the SGTransport app allows us to pin a particular bust stop to the start. Further deeper it also allows to pin a particular Bus in the bus stop. This is one of the best feature i have not seen in any smartphones.

Similarly 4 & Mayor app allows to pin a particular place to track the activities.

The below Tiles are custom tiles which can be created by Custom Tile Maker, the front and back tiles changes.