Author: Alessandro

  • RDC Authentication required: I just got a prototype, what do I need to do now?

    RDC Authentication required: I just got a prototype, what do I need to do now?

    With Windows Phone being the past, a lot of prototypes are starting to appear online. If you are a Windows Phone fan or you just like to mess around with prototype hardware, it might be tempting to get one. But what should you do with it? With this post, we’ll…

  • This is the last Moonraker firmware ever made

    This is the last Moonraker firmware ever made

    In the last post we gave you an in-depth look at Nokia’s cancelled smartwatch, codename “Moonraker”, running the pre-installed firmware. It offered a pretty good experience but it was clear that it was a pretty early version. The companion app (codename “Q”) has a tempting firmware update button and after…

  • The Microsoft Smartwatch that never was, meet Microsoft Moonraker

    The Microsoft Smartwatch that never was, meet Microsoft Moonraker

    The Windows Phone ecosystem always lacked a real smartwatch. The Microsoft Band was introduced in 2014 and if you were, or still are a Windows Phone enthusiast you probably owned one because, well, it was the only first-party device close enough to a smartwatch. Although it wasn’t a bad device, it…

  • This was Microsoft’s vision for the Xbox Smartwatch

    This was Microsoft’s vision for the Xbox Smartwatch

    In 2013 there were rumors about Microsoft working on some sort of smartwatch created by the Xbox team. You now know it as the Microsoft Band but it turns out that wasn’t their first try. In 2012 they had created a Xbox branded smartwatch, codename Joule. It wasn’t more than…

  • Pen support on a Windows Phone? Microsoft experimented with it

    Pen support on a Windows Phone? Microsoft experimented with it

    Some months ago WindowsCentral revealed Microsoft’s original vision for what we know as their last Lumia flagships. It would have included Active Sides, Smart covers and pen support. Sadly it didn’t become a reality and Microsoft released the “boring” phones we all know.  Until today nobody ever got a working…

  • A look at ‘Midas’, Nokia’s first experiment with 3D touch

    A look at ‘Midas’, Nokia’s first experiment with 3D touch

    You’ve probably all heard of McLaren, the cancelled Lumia phone that would have brought an innovative way to interact with your phone. Its development started and ended in 2014, cancelled while in the final prototyping stages. It was almost ready to be announced and hit the market. For years we…