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Here maps (Nokia map service) have announced that they will drop support for Windows Phones and Windows 10, and pull its app from the Windows App Store, dropping its biggest users market share to focus on competing with other apps on platforms, such as Android and iOS instead. So it will try an compete against Apple Maps and Google Maps. Some good news for Windows 10 users, is that Windows 10 Maps is actually pretty good to start with. For those who don't know, while I have no actual data, many users claims to have switch to Windows 10 Maps over Here maps. So it isn't all to bad for the platform. In better news, Microsoft replied to the Here Maps leaving news, with some good news, that they will release a major update soon (probably close to Microsoft BUILD event with reveal of the direction Microsoft will take Windows with Redstone 1 update) for Insiders, which Microsoft claims to bring large improvements such as addressing some big complaints the app has. Source: http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/16/11243974/microsoft-windows-10-maps-app-update Are you a user of Here Maps on Android or iOS? Have you ever heard about them? If you are a Windows Phone 8 or Windows 10 Mobile users, are affected by this? This post was editing by GoodBytes, cleaning it up from the mess it was.

In the recent months Microsoft has been focusing on developing applications for Android and iOS but it seems to me that they aren't giving much 'love' to their own platform. Try thinking about It like this, if Microsoft is exporting their key apps (eg: Office Mobile and Cortana etc) to other platforms, what's gonna be there to entice users to Windows 10 Mobile - things that they can't get anywhere else? The issue that detracts many people from the Windows Mobile platform is the lack of apps in the store - but they want the Office Suite and Cortana etc, now they can get these apps somewhere else and get a much more fruitful app store along with it. What do you guys think? Will Windows 10 Mobile ultimately be a flop?

Article on Pocketnow If Microsoft really does go ahead with Android app compatibility, there won't be much incentive to make universal apps for Windows 10. Windows desktops never had any problem with apps because developers have been making them for Windows PCs for a really long time. Windows Phone, however, is a different story. So Android apps (and iOS apps) are necessary evil that should help Windows Phone in the short run. In the long run, Universal Windows apps is the best way to go, especially when HoloLens takes off. I read more about Islandwood and Astoria. From what I can tell, apps from both of these bridges won't be able to run Continuum yet, but Astoria is far more limited compared to Islandwood when it comes to capabilities. Here's a quote from Neowin about Islandwood in comparison with Astoria:

Anyone know when the Windows 10 Mobile update for mobile devices will be released?

A Windows Phone by Vaio. Looks quite nice... better then the Lumia 950 design wise http://www.windowscentral.com/vaios-first-windows-10-mobile-phone-here-and-it-looks-stunning?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/3/10911594/vaio-windows-phone-biz-announced I actually have a Lumia 1520 currently and I am torn between jumping ship to one of the other 2 mobile OSes that have way more apps. If I do, I'm going to miss Windows Phone

Hey guys, as always, I have copied the whole article from my blog (except images, text under them, and some outside links) here, so you can simply scroll down and read. However, if you enjoy the full experience of reading, you can read the same text in my blog, here. Enjoy reading, and comment! I have said many things about the Windows 10 Mobile before I even had a chance to try it out. Well, now I’ve got a chance – Microsoft gave me to try out its Microsoft Lumia 950XL – the newest company’s flagship device with the successor of Windows Phone on the board. Let’s see, if was I right about the Windows 10 Mobile and is the Lumia 950XL worth the attention? Design is dull Many flagships nowadays look like no other phone – LG G4, Galaxy S6 and even iPhone 6 – all these phones are unique. However, Lumia 950XL’s design is quite… boring. It’s not bad by any means, but let’s understand that “not bad” is not enough when we are talking about flagships. The face of Microsoft Lumia 950XL looks pretty much the same as on the Lumia 550, but they have a huge price difference. Screen, a logo and the front-facing cam. That’s the case with most of the phones, but I’d like to see something more spectacular. The back side of the phone is a bit better – it’s made from polycarbonate, it has a nice aluminum Microsoft’s logo, and, of course, a huge camera module that makes this phone look at least a little bit different than others. So, it’s not the worst flagship phone design ever (I’d say it probably was Samsung Galaxy SIII), but Microsoft is not a leader in the market and this company definitely needs something more. But the screen is fantastic If you are that type of person who looks at the screen more than at phone’s design, Lumia 950XL may be the right choice for you. It has a 5.7-inch QHD AMOLED screen and it’s amazing – black is perfectly deep, and other colours are just fantastic. Visibility in the sunlight is fine, viewing angles are great. I love AMOLED screens! My opinion about Windows 10 Mobile hasn’t changed too much Windows 10 Mobile probably won’t catch up its competitors soon. Yeah, it is better than Windows Phone 8 was, but that’s not enough – there are quite a lot bugs: speakers are hissing and discharging the phone sometimes, also, it tends to reboot or just get stuck. And not to mention that app gap – apps such as Facebook or Messenger are insanely buggy and they have such little functionality, it drove me nuts. And there are no Feedly, Todoist or Snapchat apps – whooot? Although Windows 10 Mobile performs fine, I think that there are way too many loading screens and animations that make the phone feel not as quick as it should. Of course, while gaming or browsing the internet, Snapdragon 810 and 3 gigs of RAM does its job. What else is good? Windows Hello and Continuum. Damn, I loved these two and I want these to become a standart on smartphones! Windows Hello simply unlocks your phone by scanning your eyes with front camera and IR blaster and it works even when it’s dark (it’s slow, but it works), meanwhile, Continuum is basically our future. If you use your computer only to browse the web, check your email, watch some YouTube and work with Office, Continuum is fully enough for your needs. Yeah, it’s a bit laggy, especially when watching YouTube video, but at least, it gives us a peek how our future might look like. But overall, my opinion about the Windows 10 Mobile hasn’t changed yet – let’s give it some more time. Camera is almost perfect in light and terrible in dark Well, the title says it all. Microsoft Lumia 950XL has a perfect camera if you take pictures in good lighting – colors are vivid, everything is very sharp (not too much), white balance is okay – everything is just fine after all. Although, the autofocus could be a little faster. However, when I tried to take pictures in the dark, 950XL just couldn’t focus. I think it’s more a software issue, but that again proves my point that Windows 10 Mobile is pretty much in beta. I really hope that it is really not a hardware issue as I believe that this phone could take some really great pictures in the dark. You can check the photos with your own eyes here. Battery that will last you a day If you use you’re an intensive smartphone user (and if you buy a flagship device such as Lumia 950XL, you should be), the battery will last you no more than a day. I’m not impressed, but it’s fine. You can even go through two days if you use your phone very moderately. The only thing I was dissapointed in this department is the stand-by time. That was quite bad, even without the speaker hissling (one of those software issues). Microsoft Lumia 950XL is a different phone People usually use the word different when they want to say that something/someone is bad in a polite way. So, yeah, Microsoft Lumia 950XL is a different phone, it is not for everyone, it is created only for a very specific group of people. That group is so specific that Microsoft should even reconsider their tactic, the group is way too specific. Microsoft Lumia 950XL is a smartphone for those who don’t need apps, who are really patient and for those who won’t be annoyed by all the temporary (I hope) bugs of Windows 10 Mobile, and for those who are ready to pay a lot. It is a phone for those who need only a good pocket camera with a beautiful screen. It may be a phone for those, who are really enthusiastic about futuristic devices. It is a phone for real Windows Phone fans. In a conclusion, Microsoft Lumia 950XL is a phone for very few.

Source - Mashable Ausstralia: http://mashable.com/2015/12/21/windows-10-mobile-delayed-2016/#FjLS0mjLHOqT Opinion: I'm personally disappointed to find out that I'm gonna have to wait till next year to get the Windows 10 Mobile update for my Lumia, I was hoping to receive the update around Christmas (adding to the occasion). Since Project Astoria and Project Island-wood are delayed as well, it's gonna be a tougher sell to get Android and iOS developers to jump on board and develop for Windows 10. Opinion: I guess we can't be too upset because the Windows 10 Mobile team has significantly reduced in size due to the lay-offs earlier this year of the Windows Phone (Nokia) division. This then translate to the lateness of updates the team manages to push out. Final thoughts: I'm about to purchase a new phone in a couple of weeks (roughly early January 2016), and if Windows 10 Mobile doesn't come out in time (with support for my Lumia), I'm looking at making the switch to Android (probably to the Nexus 5X). I really like the Windows platform (despite the crap it gets about the Store). EDIT:

Hello guys, I hope that opinions are welcome here as well as reviews? If I'm wrong, please corrrect me before I'm getting banned . I have copied the whole article from my blog (except images and text under them) here, so you can simply scroll down and read. However, if you enjoy full experience of reading, you can read the same text in my blog, here. I must mention that is only an opinion, not a review. And I might be wrong about this. Also, I'm not saying that W10 Mobile won't success at all, I just say it won't happen soon. So keep that in mind, enjoy reading, and comment! Microsoft has recently launched its new mobile operating system or simply an update for Windows Phone 8 – Windows 10 Mobile. At first glance you could say that it looks cool – it has Continuum, universal apps, improved user interface, new Microsoft Edge browser, and so on. You’d say, it’s quite a big update and Microsoft should be back to the mobile game soon. You are not right. Windows 10 Mobile is not going to give Microsoft any more market share anytime soon and let me tell you why. Microsoft cannot catch up with the hardware Nokia Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, two new flagship devices with Windows 10 Mobile, were launched in 2015 November. Both these devices have pretty similar specs – QHD AMOLED screen, 3 GB of RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (Lumia 950) or 810 (Lumia 950 XL) processor along with 32 gigs of expandable storage. These specs sound really good for a 2015 flagship device, but the problem is that 2015 has almost ended. It doesn’t mean that Snapdragon 808 and 810 will instantly become obsolete, but we are going to get new devices with Snapdragon 820, Samsung’s Exynos 8890 or/and MediaTek Helio X20 processors including 4 gigs of RAM pretty soon. Microsoft really won’t launch a new flagship just a few months after they have launched Lumia 950 with 950 XL because that would be stupid. That wouldn’t be a huge deal for Apple or even Samsung as these companies have loyal fans and most of their buyers do not really look at the specsheet, but keep in mind that at least for the moment almost every potential Microsoft’s flagship’s buyer is a geek or tech enthusiast. And tech enthusiasts want to have the newest, the greatest, the fastest and Microsoft is not able to provide that. The only thing that Microsoft could do is lowering the price a lot. Only then they will be able to retrieve at least some interest. Windows 10 Mobile is still buggy as hell I haven’t tried Windows 10 Mobile myself yet (although Microsoft has promised me that I will get my review unit soon), but I have seen some reviews of Lumia 950/950 XL, for example, the one by Michael Fisher, and they are all telling the same – Windows 10 Mobile is incredibly buggy. I loved Windows Phone 7 for its stability, performance and perfectionism and back in the time, I was thinking that Windows Phone will become a major player in the mobile market because of this reason. Well, that didn’t happen probably because nobody was updated to Windows Phone 8. The other problem with Windows Phone 8 was those stability issues. Some WP8 phones, especially the low-end ones, were (and still are) incredibly laggy and unstable because of unknown reasons. The reason why I praised Windows Phone 7 so much was not common anymore. But Windows 10 Mobile?.. Why it stutters, lags and crashes on high-end hardware? Why loading apps sometimes takes so long? Why it’s less optimized for mobile than it was? Why the Windows 10 Mobile on 950/950XL looks like it’s still on a beta stage? A good start is half way to success, a bad start is half way to Firefox operating system’s destiny. Microsoft won’t attract Android or iOS users with so few apps For the moment, Windows 10 Mobile has the same number of apps as the Windows Phone 8. Maybe even a bit less. I know that Microsoft is working on making Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile more attractive for developers, but Windows 10 Mobile is not going to catch up with the apps coming year (and maybe never, who knows?), that is simply impossible. As people buy smartphones because of apps, they won’t buy Windows 10 Mobile devices. People need Snapchat, usable Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, YouTube apps! Oh, where are games? Where are premium apps and games that we have on iOS or Android? Oh, developers don’t make them because nobody buys them because most Windows Phone users are Lumia 630/530 users and they don’t have money for premium apps? Yes. Ppeople don’t buy premium Windows Phone devices because there are way too few apps on this OS? Exactly. Microsoft is in a closed circuit. Nobody buys Windows phones because nobody creates apps. Nobody creates apps because nobody buys phones. Microsoft is in a very difficult situation with apps. I don’t know if they can solve the problem. Making Windows run Android apps is not a solution. It would ruin Microsoft’s ecosystem, nobody would make native Windows apps as there would be almost no point in doing that. That would also make Windows look stupid as there would be inconsistency between Windows 10 Mobile and Android’s apps designs. What should Microsoft do? I don’t know. I hope that this Microsoft’s idea of unified OS with unified apps will help them to attract developers. Otherwise, Windows 10 Mobile will only attract Windows Phone’s fans. Windows 10 Mobile is not going to be successful anytime soon. But let’s give it some more time. Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile looks quite bad right now and I can guarantee you that it is not going to be successful anytime soon because Microsoft has been doing too many things wrong. They are always saying to us “Wait a little bit more.” They keep us waiting. We expected Windows 10 Mobile to be something amazing and we got almost the same thing under a different layer. However, let’s give it more time. I said the same about the Windows Phone 7, 7.5, 8, and 8.1. But I’m saying that again. However, this is probably the last time I’m saying this, because if Microsoft will not get back on their feet now, they will never do. Microsoft, we are patiently waiting. But one day our patience might be over and you will have to back off. If you will not catch up with the hardware, give us appealing pricing, solve the bugs including the sluggishness of the OS and if you won’t bring us apps, we won’t bring you the money, we won’t buy the devices and you will have to go with Palm and Mozilla.

Topic Title says it all. Why does your chosen platform work well for you?