Mihăiță Bamburic

In late-January, Google revealed that, after July 31, Windows Phone handsets will be unable to establish new Exchange ActiveSync connections to Gmail. The controversial move would leave said devices without the ability to sync calendar and contacts entries with the search giant's consumer-oriented email service, after the passing of the deadline. However, that is no longer the case, as Google just gave Windows Phone users another reprieve.

"We've reached an agreement to extend support for new Windows Phone connections to the Google Sync service through December 31, 2013", says Google in a statement that was issued to me earlier today. The agreement, as you can probably tell, was made with Microsoft, likely to give the software giant and its partners more time to deploy CalDAV and CardDAV support, which is needed for Gmail calendar and contacts sync, in Windows Phone.

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Starting tomorrow, most Windows Phone 8 devices will be unable to sync Gmail calendar and contacts entries though new connections, as Google officially drops support for Exchange ActiveSync in its consumer-oriented email service. The search giant initially revealed that EAS would be ditched after January 30, but decided to give Microsoft a six-month reprieve, which ends today, to give the company time to implement CalDAV and CardDAV (the two protocols required for calendar and contacts sync, respectively) support in its tiled smartphone operating system, before finally pulling the plug.

New handsets, like the Nokia Lumia 925 and Lumia 1020, already ship with the Windows Phone 8 version (known as GDR2) which adds CalDAV and CardDAV support. However, the necessary update has yet to be rolled-out to the majority of older smartphones, like my Lumia 920 for instance (according to user reports, it is available on the unbranded HTC Windows Phone 8X), a delay which potentially affects most Windows Phone 8 users, if device market share is of any indication.

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BlackBerry's update streak continues. The Canadian maker just announced a refreshed version of its BB 10.1 smartphone operating system, dubbed "maintenance release", which is touted to deliver a significant number of changes and improvements. The roll-out kicked off yesterday in the Asia Pacific region and is expected to finish in the US, starting at the end of the summer.

The most noteworthy enhancements, which BlackBerry 10.1 maintenance release adds, center on BB Balance, Hub, World and social network integration -- Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The changes are mostly designed to improve content discovery, messaging and security. Let's take a look at what's new.

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According to a new report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Microsoft's Windows Phone scored another victory over BlackBerry, as in Q2 2013, following Android and iOS, the tiled mobile operating system was the third most popular choice for European smartphone buyers, in major local markets.

In Q2 2013, 6.9 percent of European smartphone buyers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK bought Windows Phone handsets. Meanwhile, only 2.2 percent decided to purchase BlackBerry smartphones. "Windows Phone continues to consolidate its position as the third OS globally, with strong performances in Britain and France where it has 8.6 percent and 9.0 percent of the market respectively", according to the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech report. But it's not all good news though, as Windows Phone's market share dropped slightly in the US.

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Playing with root-friendly apps was one of my favorite activities whilst being an Android user. There was something that I can't quite put my finger on -- be it the empowering feeling that I got or the endless possibilities that were available at my disposal -- that attracted me towards having elevated privileges on the green droid operating system.

I would run my Android smartphone with an overclocked processor (and, even GPU) -- which I enjoyed, as it made everything faster -- but, through root, also gained access to some other features, such as the ability to change color profiles, access system-level files and create and restore backups. These are all things that one can't do when running an untouched version of Android. Undeniably, as you can see, rooting has its perks.

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There is a very good reason as to why some people easily dismiss any report on the state of the smartphone, tablet or phone market. Research companies often get their forecasts wrong, and just as often adjust the numbers to reflect any significant change in shipments or sales. Credibility is gained over a long period of time, through spot-on analysis and research, but is easily lost after a questionable report.

Truth be told, predicting the future is a fool's errand. Those who rely on forecasts in order to make their case are just as likely to withdraw their bold remarks once the quarterly or yearly reports arrive. The credibility issue grows bigger when two research companies, namely IDC and Strategy Analytics, cannot agree on counting smartphone shipments, in a single quarter.

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Following ten days of pre-orders, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is now finally available for purchase at US mobile operator AT&T. Through its online store, the Windows Phone 8 handset can be had for $299.99, on a two-year agreement. Other plans are also available, including the new AT&T Next. The smartphone is not yet offered at the mobile operator's brick and mortar locations.

Subscribers who want to get the Lumia 1020 through the AT&T Next program have to shell out $33 per month, over the course of 20 months. Alternatively, folks can pay the fees and, in a year (or, every 12 months), trade in their existing handset for a new one.

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Just a day after Google officially announced Android 4.3, Japanese maker Sony revealed, on Thursday, that a number of its upscale Xperia devices will receive a software upgrade to the third Jelly Bean iteration.

Sony did not provide an exact date as to when users can expect the upcoming update, but said that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean will be rolled out to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP and Xperia Z Ultra, and likely other devices judging by the added ellipsis, following the list.

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Starting today, the Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone is available at US mobile operator AT&T, with the GoPhone program. Subscribers can pick up the smartphone, without a contract, but on a pre-paid plan, for a mere $99.99.

The Lumia 520 is Nokia's entry-level Windows Phone 8 device, and offers pretty appealing specifications for the money: 4-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 480 by 800, 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, as the main highlights.

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Despite being one of the main means of downloading pirated content and, therefore, a threat to Microsoft's profits (and that of many other big companies), the software giant just accepted a BitTorrent client on Windows Phone Store. Surely, popular service providers Netflix, Pandora, Spotify and the like are not too pleased about this decision, especially after releasing apps for the tiled smartphone operating system.

The BitTorrent client in question is called wpTorrent, and, judging by the number of features it touts, all the basics are covered. Users can discover and find files via RSS feeds and search engines and download content straight to their handsets (even when the device is locked).

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The next-generation Google Nexus 7 surfaced at Best Buy, with complete specifications, price and photos. Interested buyers can pre-order the new tablet, which is available in both 16 GB and 32 GB storage trims, and, presumably, receive it after the search giant officially unveils its latest slate (which should not be too far away).

According to the details revealed by the US retailer, the new Nexus 7 arrives with some pretty impressive hardware under its dark-colored shell, and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (which, like the slate, has yet to be officially announced by Google). The price? Well, the 16 GB version runs for $229.99, while its 32 GB counterpart goes for $269.99.

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Following Photo Editor by Aviary, that was released earlier this month, yet another picture editing app is now available on Windows Phone 8 -- the Microsoft-developed FreshPaint. The new offering arrives on the tiled smartphone operating system six months after the launch of its Windows 8/RT sibling.

According to Microsoft, FreshPaint for Windows Phone 8 "lets you make original works of art, or turn your photos into beautiful paintings with just a few taps". The app is quite easy to use, allowing users to snap pictures, add filters on-the-fly (users can choose between three distinct ones when taking a photo) and create new digital paintings, as the main highlights.

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Earlier today, following the "something BIG" teaser, Finnish maker Nokia took the wraps off a 4.7-inch, entry-level Windows Phone 8 handset, called Lumia 625. The new device features the largest panel that the company ever offered alongside the tiled smartphone operating system.

The Lumia 625 packs a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 480 by 800 (201 pixels per inch density), that can be operated using gloves, and is powered by a 1.2 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 512 MB of RAM and a non-removable 2,000 mAh battery. The device comes with 8 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot (can extend the capacity by a further 64 GB).

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On Monday, Finnish maker Nokia teased that "something BIG" will be unveiled tomorrow, on its blog, at 9 AM BST. At a first glance, the message can only mean one of two things -- either the company will announce a large device or reveal a pretty important upcoming app release.

Judging by the posted teaser (you can see the attached photo here), that is called "orange", the Finnish maker could also be hinting at an orange-colored version of one of its existing handsets.

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After installing the latest Windows Phone 8 update (codenamed "General Distribution Release 2" or "GDR2"), which started rolling-out late last week, a number of HTC Windows Phone 8X users are reporting that their devices became unresponsive, with the screen turning black.

According to user reports, the issue presents itself while playing music on the Windows Phone 8X. And, at least for the moment, there appears to be no universal fix to cure it, with the usual reset methods yielding mixed results -- most affected users claim this does not help, with just one of them actually managing to "resurrect" the unresponsive device.

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