12 megapixel camera on Windows phone 7 has now a hit the web via SlashGear. HTC supports RAW format pictures e.i. unprocessed high definition pictures that are not compressed. Most phones process pictures as they come in, optimize them and save them. In RAW format it’s up to you to work with your pics the way you would like. With highest setting you should get 4000 x 3000 images.

This is the biggest megapixel count I have seen on Windows phones and saving of your camera settings is also a novelty that most of us have impatiently been waiting for. Well, Microsoft has listened. Kudos to them and yey to us.

I am eagerly awaiting what Nokia will come up with as they had planned to use its high-quality optics to make themselves stand out above the main stream. HTC has opted to alter the specs sheet resolution and that sells.

At Microsoft developers Forum in Japan nine new Windows Phone are being presented. It’s awesome to see new and better hardware with solidifying software. Mango release is promised to be big. How big? This big! 500 new features are promised in Japan by Steve Balmer in the Mango release.

“Windows 8″ and “next generation of Windows systems” have now been heard from the lips of Steve Ballmer. These next generation systems should be out next year. New and exciting times are upon Microsoft. New tablets and PCs are also being mentioned. Here is Steve Balmer’s transcript:

“We’re obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We’ve done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We’ve added touch, and ink, and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there’s a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.”

Later this statement was recanted with this bid:

“It appears there was a misstatement. We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows.”

D9 conference is coming next week and we hope that more light will be shed on some of these questions. Microsoft’s Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky is supposed to feature Microsoft’s demo of Windows 8 Tablet UI. First tech preview or beta of Windows 8 should be available in September.

Who will be building these new Windows Phones? We’ll let you know just as soon as we find out.

Let’s have a listen to Steve Balmer and his outlook on future development of Windows Phone features:

Via engadget

Ever since the buzz for the Windows Phone 7, competitions are now up for students and for the rest of the UK. If you are a student, you are lucky since you can participate in both the competitions. On top of that, you can send your entry on both programs so all you got to do is focus on one.

For the student contest, all you need to do is publish an application on the WP7 Marketplace. All you have to do is send in the details via email (ukstucom@microsoft.com) which includes the following details: publisher name, app title and a screen shot. That will be all the details that you need to send in. they will manage the other works. If you win, you will bag the Microsoft LifeCam Show and you can also win t-shirts on each of the 6 rounds. The grand winner will win an HTC 7 Trophy. Of course, it does not stop there. Let us here about the incentives program now.

The next one is open for all. The Microsoft team is in search of something very unique, functional and original. Of those who will win, the prizes are amazing. You can get an Xbox 360, LCD TV screens, home theater packages and so much more. Of course, it also gives a chance to everybody so your 1 entry can serve as a raffle entry to win on the weekly draw of Alienware, Dell or Acer Laptops. These are really a lot of prizes to be won and if you are in the UK, you have an idea for an app and you want to show the world that you can enrich the app world, and then this contest is for you. There is nothing wrong with trying. Who knows? Your app might be the next big thing that will elevate the WP7 to the fame it rightfully deserves.

For more information check out Microsoft UK Student blog

Windows Phone 7 Certified microSD Cards are not easily formatted. It has been reported that even though 8GB microSD Cards for $32 is Certified for Windows Phone 7 (at AT&T) it cannot be formatted. Extra storage, my a..!

Here is one of the reports by switchthreesixty at everythingwm:

I bought a Focus and installed an 8 gig microsd card. Did the hard rest. (Clicked “rest phone” under about phone under settings.) Phone recognized 16gigs. (15.x). I loaded it with video, music, and apps. Ran like a dream. But, I hit the power button until the phone said “goodbye.” Then turned the phone back on using the power button. At which point all my personal data was wiped out. Under “about phone,” it said I only had 15 mb (not gigs) of space…

You may have found another use for your old phone. Try using it to format your microSD Card.

Windows Phone Radio is the official podcast for anything WP7 and it returns “on air” with hosts Matt Akers and Brian Seitz to discuss the weekly blog posts of Eric Hatula from NoDo. Later on, Brandon Watson talked about the ChevronWP7.updater.

Let’s see what it actually means when the “updates” are on the testing stage:

Brandon then joins in the conversation to talk about the issues surrounding the ChevronWP7.updater which is a tool that the users have been using in order to force updates the phones with NoDo.

Brandon states that they will release a material really soon that will state in detail how the tool sets the phones into an in-updatable setting. Right now, the team is working on the ways to address the issues without resorting to resetting the ROM. He stressed that it is not an FUD issue.

It looks like this means that you should not update your phones in advance since the NoDo will come. Of course, that is easy for some. Now it is just a matter of checking if Microsoft will be able to release an update/solution first before NoDo releases an update for those who have not tried to update yet.