In anticipation for the North American launch of the new Nokia Windows Phone 7 (WP7) smartphones, like Nokia Lumia 800 Microsoft has been concentrating its efforts on improving its mobile, entertainment and gaming products. The Redmond-based company recently announced the release of a major upgrade to its Xbox 360 Dashboard, as well as two mobile apps that will allow gamers to be check up on their console-centered world even when they are away from home.

The Dashboard Update

The Xbox Live Dashboard underwent a major redesign that is immediately apparent thanks to the elegant Metro User Interface (UI) that WP7 users are already familiar with. The Metro UI is a significant departure for Microsoft, a company that has pretty much stuck to the same UI since Windows 95. With this new update, Microsoft is preparing its strong gaming community for the future Windows 8, an operating system (OS) which will not only feature the Metro UI, but that will also bring together future desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and Xbox consoles with true cross-platform functionality.

Microsoft is calling this update a “game-changer” for many reasons. The Metro UI’s clever use of Live Tiles neatly organizes content across television screens of all sizes. It may look awkward in the beginning for very large screen sizes, but users will get the hang of it quickly thanks to its responsiveness and intuition. For Kinect users, the new Dashboard experience will feel truly futuristic, as the Metro UI smoothly reacts to many different gestures and voice commands. The new Xbox Live Dashboard brings all forms of home entertainment together: live television, video, music, online social networking, and a special version of Bing that specifically looks for, and returns, search results for media that can be played by the Xbox.

Xbox Companion for Windows Phone 7

When Nokia unveiled its upcoming Lumia lineup of WP7-powered smartphones earlier this year, a few lucky journalists got a chance to preview Microsoft’s Xbox-branded mobile gaming app. The Xbox Companion app for WP7 is what future Nokia smartphone users will enjoy on their handsets. While the Xbox Live Dashboard with Kinect allows gamers to completely ditch their remote controls, the Xbox Companion turns WP7 smartphones into clever remote controls and game controllers. The Companion app also doubles as a game manager and media player, and it relies on a decent mobile broadband or WiFi connection to work properly.

One of the coolest features of the Xbox Companion app is that it lets gamers set beacons to alert them when their friends are connected to Xbox Live and what they are doing -namely, the games they are playing. Gamers who are away from their consoles due to work, school or social engagements will probably feel pangs of jealousy to see that their friends are online and playing games, but they can also send them a message right from their smartphone to let them know that they may be able to join in at a later time. The Companion’s integration with Facebook allows users to post their high scores and achievements directly from their Xbox consoles.

My Xbox Live for iOS

Gamers who own an iPhone don’t have to ditch it for a WP7 smartphone just to get closer to their Xbox consoles at home. Microsoft My Xbox Live app lets Apple iPhone and iPad users access some of the same content they can access at home, such as games, music, videos, and television shows. Seeing the Metro UI on the iOS platform may seem initially awkward, but the interaction through touch and swipe gestures make it a natural for a device such as the iPhone. Just like with the Xbox Companion, users can take advantage of mobile broadband access to stay in touch with friends and set beacons to see what games they are playing.

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Broadband Expert where you can find internet service providers in your area and compare prices on different deals for your mobile broadband needs.

Upgrade to popular Google Reader Nextgen will be available in Windows marketplace in just few moments.

Part of a major upgrade of NexGen is picture cached in offline mode, so you will be able to see pics even when not online. Swiping between pages is as easy as tapping the left or right edge. User can also choose to swipe the title on top. Page numbering, faster loading of pages as well as many reported glitches fixed in this update.

Check out these screen shots of nexgen app:

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This video will show off the improvements on Nexgen Reader:

PHOTO EDITOR is now available for Windows Phone 7

I could have written it simply as Photo Editor. But these are the achievements of these apps that made me write it as PHOTO EDITOR. So, PHOTO EDITOR is that trend-setting app that showed the world, real meanings of a complete photo editing suite. The list of features provided by this app includes cropping, re-sizing, rotating, re-coloring, adding frames, doodling, painting and saving. Aaaahh! I am getting tired, but there are other worth mentioning features as well. The most notable among them is allowing users to send pictures to friends via E-mail or Facebook.

These features were pretty enough to lend this app the top spot at the Blackberry App World for three times. The important fact to be noted is that the PHOTO EDITOR app for Blackberry topped the App World charts for three times within a jaw-dropping span of mere four months. First, this milestone was accomplished in September the last year. Then the same thing happened in December the same year. Most recently, PHOTO EDITOR app stood atop the App World in March 2011.

Perhaps, simplicity is the right word to sum up the whole legend of success of the PHOTO EDITOR. This outstanding app is very simple and easy to use which helped pooling in millions of users. Now that the PHOTO EDITOR is up for grabs on Windows Phone 7, the same performance is expected on this platform. In fact, the developers of this app, Pepper.pk, are aiming to keep on introducing the complete and most comprehensive photo-editing suite on other platforms until no platform is left. PHOTO EDITOR for Windows Phone 7 can be purchased for $0.99 at Windowsphone or tried out for free. Check out some screen shots of PHOTO EDITOR:

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You like your poker, play it all the time? Here is an interesting poker manager that will allow you to keep track of your scores, stats, and winnings. This Statistics Manager is unique because it send messages containing stat reports via SMS or HTML. This Ultimate Poker manager comes as free trial version allowing you to create only one league and save only 5 games. This should be enough for you to make a purchase decision.

Full version of Ultimate Poker Manager WP7 app can be downloaded for $0.99.  

Here are the main Poker manager features:

• simple setup, even during the game
• creation and saving of blind structures
• running under the locked screen
• random function
• podium number and percentages
• good and bad beats, eliminations
• rankings, prizes, points
• point counter
• unlimited leagues

Holdem Poker for your Win 7 Phone

Wanna play texas hold em from your Win 7 handset? Well now you can and it ain’t half bad! In fact it’s also running on the Xbox 360, whether you can play online matches between the devices is not clear yet, but the interface is the best yet! Read more here: Play-Money Poker on Windows 7 Mobile

In all the hubbub over iOS and Android, Windows makes a comeback – the Windows Phone 7 App Store is growing at the same rate as Apple’s iOS when it was launched. Ovum’s Chief Telecoms Analyst studied the speed with which new apps are appearing in the various App Stores, and figures indicate that WP7′s uptake is as strong as that of Android or Apfel’s iOS shortly after they launched.

View the graphs below – the next month or two will be crucial in showing whether or not the take-up of WP7 has already peaked, or whether this is only the (new) beginning for Windows as a mobile OS. view the stats here. The next month or two should indicate whether or not the take-up of WP7 has already peaked, or whether this is only the (new) beginning for Windows as a mobile OS.