The best business smartphones won't have everything you need to get you through the workday, but they can be a reliable backup option should tasks need finishing on the go. That requires snappy processing power, long battery life, and enough display space to see read your emails and even fix spreadsheets. 

Over the last twelve months we have tried and tested some of the best around, from the latest iPhone to the best Samsung has to offer. In this article, we will provide you with a detailed review of each device, what to look for when purchasing a new smartphone for work, and also an insight into our testing methodology. 

The Best Business Smartphones 2026

If you're an iOS person or you're business is deep into Apple's product ecosystem then the iPhone 14 Pro is, in our opinion, the best value for money right now. The 15 models are out, but there isn't enough of a difference between the two to go for the absolute latest but there will be a price difference. 

With its A16 Bionic processor, the 14 Pro is an extremely powerful smartphone. In Geekbench 5, the 14 Pro hit 5,497 for multi-threaded workloads, leaving its Android rivals in the dust. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra only managed 3,475. If it's speed you need, the iPhone 14 Pro is the clear winner in that regard.

The iPhone 14 Pro is currently priced at $999, which is still admittedly high – though that is far more affordable than the very latest iPhone 15 Pro. An argument could also be made for an older model, such as the iPhone 12, which has almost the same design, and most of the necessary features, for almost half the price – something businesses are most likely going to weigh up.

However, the 14 Pro has plenty of worthwhile extras, such as the Dynamic Island which makes emails and notifications that little bit easier to deal with.

Read our full Apple iPhone 14 Pro review for more information.

Google has found great success in the smartphone market with its Pixel range and that is partly to do with its innovative AI-based features. Take the Pixel 7 Pro, for example, which captured the imagination with its 'Magic Eraser' tool that allows users to make groundbreaking edits to photos.

The element that made us all go 'wow', and what really sold most on the Pixel 7 Pro, was the ability to remove objects and people from images. This is down to the innovative Tensor G2 chip and its machine-learning capabilities. It's also worth noting that it is still early days and AI capabilities on phones will become very advanced in the years to come. But for right now, the Pixel is arguably the best around.

For businesses the most appealing aspect of a Google Pixel is its native links to the Workspace suite of apps – there is no phone around that can replace the performance of a laptop, but for quick checks, minor tweaks, and little notes, the Pixel 7 Pro is great for Gmail, Google Docs, even Google Sheets. There is also potential space here for AI in the future.

Read our full Google Pixel 7 Pro review for more information.

Flip and foldable phones might seem gimmicky in the consumer space, but they do have a reasonable purpose for businesses. This is largely because they're mini tablets, offering larger screen space than your average phone. And the absolute best of the best here is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. 

Packing an octa-core snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, the Fold 4 is a smooth operator and business-friendly handheld. Switching apps is effortless, editing Google Docs is actually doable, and the larger screen really does allow you to work on the go.

Its Geekbench 5 scores are also noteworthy, with a multithreaded score (3,960) far above the likes of the Pixel 7 Pro and the Huawei Mate X2s. You have the processing power to handle the heaviest of work apps.

However, what really matters, and what businesses should take note of, is the inclusion of a Samsung S-Pen. The whole experience of a foldable screen gets better with a stylus, from annoying docs to creating doodles, it just offers that little bit more.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review for more information.

There is something to be said for smaller phones; they're easier to handle and ultimately use on the go, for example. But what Sony has with its Xperia 5IV is a narrow smartphone with its compact 6.1in display and its slender 8.2mm thick chassis. It is a very unobtrusive device, perfect for minor business needs. 

The OLED display and its 21:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate are the big plus points of the device. The size is great for your thumb, as it can actually reach all parts of the display, but also good for streaming content as the aspect ratio takes away those annoying black bars. What's more, it's also very vivid with 99.9% of the sRGB color space covered under our calibrator. This is a display that matches the likes of the S22 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro but in a smaller way.

There is also a stellar camera system on the IV, which is less important to business users, but it does mean that the device has a more premium quality to it and therefore a more premium price. It is still under $1,000, but only just. 

Read our full Sony Xperia 5 IV review for more information.

What to look for in a business smartphone

When shopping for a smartphone, it’s easy to be lured into thinking that you should simply go with whichever device boasts the highest specs - but this isn’t always the case, and in some instances, more technically advanced devices can actually offer a less satisfying experience.

For example, while a super-powerful processor may seem attractive, most flagship phones have far more CPU power than the average user needs, so unless you’re planning on using your phone to handle extremely demanding tasks like professional videography, you may find that a mid-range processor offers better value for money. It may also result in better battery life thanks to less power-hungry components, which applies equally to screen technology.

The higher a display’s resolution and refresh rate, the more charge will be needed to power it, which can quickly sap your battery. While most devices with a high refresh rate also include dynamic optimisations to mitigate this, it’s nonetheless worth bearing in mind. Generally, you should aim for a resolution of between 1080p and 1440p, and a refresh rate of at least 60Hz, which will ensure the best blend between battery life and user experience.

Regardless of how long the battery lasts, however, you should make sure to look for devices that include fast-charging support, as this will inevitably come in handy at some point. Wireless charging is also a nice feature to have, but unless you own a wireless charging pad, or your work has them dotted around the office, it's unlikely to be a feature you use very often.

You should, however, make sure that your chosen phone supports Wi-Fi 6 and 5G; these technologies may still be comparatively nascent, but skip this functionality and you may need to upgrade sooner than planned as it becomes more widespread.

Those seeking the most secure phone possible should check our best secure smartphones list.

FAQs

Are iPhones or Android phones better for business use?

There’s a certain amount of animosity that can sometimes be observed when it comes to Android vs iPhone; Android fans contend that Apple devices are needlessly expensive, prone to failure and restrictive to use, while iPhone devotees insist that Android devices are cheaply-made, poor quality hardware brimming with malware.

All of these arguments have grains of truth behind them, but on balance, it’s iOS that comes up trumps for business. As the dominant platform, it tends to be prioritised by software developers, and although high-end manufacturers like Samsung and Google can offer experiences that compete with Apple’s smartphones, the wider Android ecosystem does contain more than its fair share of duds.

However, the simple fact is that in most cases, Android and iOS are equally capable for business users. The software required for business smartphones - enterprise collaboration apps, document management systems, device management tools, and so on - are all available across both platforms, and as long as organisations don’t try and cut too many corners on the price of the unit itself, device quality is unlikely to be an issue.

How often should I update my employees’ company smartphones?

Smartphone technology moves at a seemingly breakneck pace, and every year manufacturers are touting more and more impressive specs and features. This leaves businesses with a dilemma: do they invest more money in upgrading employees’ devices every year or so, or do they sweat them for a longer period and risk missing out on the latest capabilities?

The key thing to bear in mind is that many of the features these newer smartphones boast are geared towards personal use, as opposed to business. While an improved camera is nice for taking holiday snaps, it doesn’t make much difference for most workers’ day-to-day use. With this in mind, it’s better to invest in buying higher-end devices and sweating them for a longer period of three to five years, which will offer better long-term value.

Should I get a 5G business smartphone contract?

5G has been around for a number of years now, but its introduction somehow doesn’t seem as revolutionary as previous generations of mobile broadband. Many contracts will now include 5G connectivity as standard, but it’s still worth paying a bit extra to secure a business smartphone contract that supports the latest standard - assuming your corporate devices do as well.

When employees are on the road - or working flexibly from a third location - the added speed and stability that 5G can offer is an excellent way to ensure consistent productivity, and sharing a 5G connection via hotpot can even be used as a backup broadband connection for PCs and laptops in the event of a connection failure.

How we test

We measure the effectiveness of a smartphone in a number of ways; to test the quality of the display, we’ll use a colour calibrator and the open source DisplayCal app to measure how much of the sRGB colour gamut it covers, as well as the Delta-E rating. This tells us how much of the colour spectrum it’s able to represent, and how accurate those colours are. We’ll also test the maximum brightness and contrast ratio.

Performance testing is carried out using the Geekbench 5 benchmark app, which gives separate results for single-core and multi-core operations. For phones that don’t support this app, we’ll use a different benchmarking app, then run that same app on a phone which does support Geekbench, and then use that as a basis for comparison.

To test the battery of a smartphone, we’ll charge it to 100%, use the calibrator to set the brightness to 170cd/m2 (or as near as possible) and then play a looped video in flight mode until the battery runs out. This gives us a figure that can be compared across models, but to assess real-world longevity, we track how long the battery lasts on average during our testing period.

While Windows 10 Mobile (Windows Phone) is no longer going to be supported by Microsoft, many businesses and individuals still use Windows-running phones.

However, Microsoft has made it known that it will no longer add new features, concentrating on bug fixes and security patches instead. As a result, Windows 10 Phone users might be feeling a little bereft.

"Of course we'll continue to support the platform... bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/[hardware] aren't the focus," Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore wrote on Twitter in October 2017.

While Microsoft had tried to get developers to create new apps for the platform, this proved a somewhat complicated task.

Where does this leave Windows 10 Phone users? In short, with no new apps to use.

However, those apps already available will continue to work on devices. As for variety, there are still plenty of indispensable apps any user should download to make their device more useful to them and their work.

Here is a list of apps you should download and install today.

Telegram Messenger

Telegram

Category: Messaging

Price: Free

Telegram is a messaging app that has a big following in the crypto and tech scene. It is also one of the few apps that continues to receive updates on the Windows Phone platform. The latest update allows users to store personal information and identity documents in the cloud.

Main Idea: The app allows users to securely commmunicate with other users via their smart devices.

1Password Beta

1Password

Category: Security

Price: Free

1Password is a popular account and password directory that securely encrypts your entries. The Windows Phone version, still in public beta at the time of writing, offers improved search, faster performance and a revised UI.

Main Idea: Securely store the passwords for accounts you access on your Windows Phone.

Alternatives: Password Padlock, VPN Unlimited

VLC for Windows Phone (Free)

VideoLabs

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free

VLC for Windows Phone is a portable, free and open-source, cross-platform media player and streaming media server written by the VideoLAN project. It player supports most audio and video compression formats, files and streaming protocols, such as OGG, MKV, FLAC and MPC. The app has a media library for audio and video files, a complete audio library, with metadata fetching. VLC supports multi-track audio and subtitles, speed control.

Main idea: Can payback any type of video or audio file on a Windows Phone.

Alternatives: Video Tuner

Adobe PhotoShop Express

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Category: Photography

Price: Free

Adobe's PhotoShop Express is without the doubt the most impressive tool for editing photos on a Windows Phone device.

As is the case on the Android and iPhone iteration, it features plenty of editing tools to make your picture shine. Crop, adjust red eye, white balance, contrast, noise, tone and much more, it's a must-have, even if you're not an avid photographer.

All of these actions only require one or two taps of the screen to completely transform your snaps, making it easy for even the novice to use.

You can also add a varied selection of filters, called 'Looks'. Although it's not on par with Instagram, it's still pretty impressive and can give a new lease of life to any picture that may have been adversely affected by shaky hands.

Main Idea: Top photo editing app with simple to use interface

Alternatives: Photo Editor pro, Photo Editor by Aviary

Adobe Reader

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free

The most popular app for viewing, editing, converting, and sharing PDFs, Adobe Reader allows you to view PDFs straight from emails and more. The app also allows you to view password-protected documents for extra security, convert DOC, RTF, and easily share files and documents between team members.

Main Idea: PDF files are widely used in business, so it's incredibly useful to be able to view and interact with them across more than one platform.

Alternative: PDF Reader

AirWatch MDM Agent

AirWatch, LLC

Category: Business

Price: Free

A management tool for the company that relies on communication and collaboration, this app can be used with the AirWatch console to monitor and manage all devices across a company. This app keeps track of everything, and is easy to set up and use.

Main Idea: With the rise of BYOD in business, it's already true that nearly everyone works with a mobile device. The app helps to manage this, improving security and more.

Box

Box

Category: Business

Price: Free

Box offers 10 GB of free storage space out of the gate that's currently 8 GB more than competitor Dropbox (2 GB). If that's not reason enough to use this reliable and, so far, secure cloud storage service, we don't know what it is. It's also cross-compatible with Windows 8 and 10.

Main Idea: 10 GB of free storage and the ability to sync your files to all your devices.

Alternatives: OneDrive, Dropbox

CalendarPro Free

eWebSoul

Category: Business

Price: Free

By their very nature, calendar apps tender to be pretty straightforward, but with the frequency that we use them only the very best are worth your time. CalendarPro is among the highest-rated scheduling apps on Windows Phone, offering a smart interface and deep integration with Live accounts.

Main Idea: Advance calendar features that integrate with the user's Windows Live account.

Alternatives: True Calender 8, Chronos Calendar

Call Recorder

Asleroid

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

Perhaps even more important than an audio recording app, this app lets you record your phone calls and refer to them later. Play back the file on your phone or upload it to OneDrive to save or share it so that you can follow those important phone calls without busying yourself with note taking. You can even password protect sensitive calls to keep conversations confidential and secure.

Main Idea: Recording phone calls can keep the focus on your conversations and help you refer back to important details in the future.

CamCard

IntSig International Holding Limited

Category: Business

Price: Free

Keeping track of paper business cards can be difficult and lead to a cluttered desk, but CamCard cuts out the physical mess by storing pertinent contact information in an e-card. Simply scan the card using your phone's camera, then read the information to complete the profile. The card data syncs across smartphones, tablets, and web so that you have access to the information you need when you need it.

Main Idea: A fast and efficient way to keep track of your business contacts, CamCard recognizes sixteen languages and allows you to exchange e-cards with other app users.

CamScanner

IntSig International Holding Limited

Category: Productivity

Price: 3.99

Mobile document scanning and sharing is essential to our on-the-go lifestyles, and CamScanner can help you scan, store, sync, and collaborate on content. Files are available across smartphones, iPads, tablets, and computers, making it convenient to switch between devices and share your content with others.

Main Idea: Not only is this mobile scanning app a huge convenienceand a necessity for the busy professionalthere are plenty of great features designed to help you work more efficiently.

Alternatives: TinyScan, QuickScan

Effectual

Spiffy Ventures, L.L.C.

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

This task management app syncs across your Windows devices for a convenient and up-to-date rundown of everything on your to do list. Live Tile Updates provide reminders on your start screen while expiration dates keep your content relevant. If viewing tasks by priority isn't quite cutting it, there's a tag system within the app to give you an alternative outlook.

Main Idea: Effectual shows up the traditional to-do list with built-in organization, expiration dates, and reminders that help keep you on task. Being productive is that much easier when you've got a useful app at hand and helpful reminders on your start screen.

Alternative: Task Manager

Evernote

Evernote

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

The Evernote workspace syncs across all of your devices so you can easily switch between tablet, smartphone, and desktop. More than just a note-taking app, create checklists and clip webpages for later reference in one uncluttered workspace. The search tool makes it easy to conduct research and save information without having to worry about how you're going to find it later. Evernote even has a presentation mode and work chat to make it easier for you to collaborate and share your work with others.

Main Idea: This app is here to help you work, but only if you let it. Evernote is an indispensable tool if you use it regularly, but falls flat if you don't take advantage of its unique features. There's a helpful guide to help you get started.

Alternative: OneNote

InstaNote

Microsoft Corp

Category: Productivity

Price: Free

Created by the Microsoft Garage project, InstaNote is a smart way to take audio notes or memos, and assign log references to them. With the app running, users can simply touch their smartphone to turn the last 30 seconds (or more) of recorded audio into its own playable sound clip. This makes it easier to scan through the pivotal parts of a meeting or conversation when transcribing or picking out action points to be acted upon.

Main Idea: InstaNote makes your note taking in meetings as easy as a single touch.

iTelMobileDialer

REVE Systems (S) Pte Ltd

Category: Business

Price: Free

A unified communications tool that allows professionals to more seamlessly speak with one another via VoIP calls, SMS, cross-OS instant messaging and more. iTelMobileDialer is the most popular app of its kind for Windows Phone users, with all messaging designed to work over 3G/4G and Wi-Fi and cross-platform instant messaging ensuring you won't have to worry about co-workers using Android or iOS.

Main Idea: This is the easiest and most seamless tool for unifying communication tools on your Windows device, making it perfect for use in a professional setting.

Alternatives: Voice Recorder Pro+, Mini Recorder

Mail

Eyacker.com

Category: Business

Price: Free

No matter how many ways there are for us to interact with each other, email has remained the primary method of communication in professional environments. The Mail app for Windows devices is a no-frills, functional way of accessing your account, create and edit messages, organise your inbox, and more with an interface that takes away all unnecessary complications.

Main Idea: A simple, functional way to access your email account from your Windows Phone.

Microsoft Remote Desktop

Microsoft Corporation

Category: Business

Price: Free

View and manage files on your work or home PC from your phone or tablet. Microsoft Remote Desktop allows you to refer back to your desktop PC, find files, or simply access documents from your Windows device, even when you're away from your desk. You can also stream video and audio, read and edit documents, and take advantage of the app's multi-touch experience.

Main Idea: This app is designed for people who need to be able to work from anywhere, so it's perfect for professionals who need to access their PC from home or during their commute.

Office Lens

Microsoft Corp

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free

Office Lens is a Microsoft-developed solution for your digitisation needs. Using the app and your smartphone's camera, you can capture receipts, whiteboards, business cards, and other documents in a speedy and readable manner. Images are saved to OneNote and can also be converted to Word or PowerPoint files.

Main Idea: An app for digitalising print documents receipts and more accessible memos.

Alternatives: ScanWritr, Lens Picker

OneDrive

Microsoft Corporation

Category: Tools & Productivity

Price: Free

The most popular cloud storage app for the Windows Phone, Microsoft's own OneDrive lets you keep your photos, videos, documents, and more in a single location that's accessible across all of your devices. Once you start using the app, everything stored within the drive can be accessed from your PC, Windows phone or tablet, and you can also share things more easily between colleagues.

Main Idea: There are a lot of cloud storage options out there. If you're not sure which is best for you, check out our more in-depth look at the most popular services.

Alternatives: Box, Dropbox

Perfect Recorder

Perfect Thumb

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

Note taking isn't always the best way to keep track of information and ideas, especially if it's distracting you from the task at hand. Having a reliable audio recorder and player with playback controls makes it easy to log ideas, dictations, meetings, lectures, or anything else you want to refer to later. With the ability to upload audio files to OneDrive, this app makes sharing and saving your recordings a breeze.

Main Idea: Perfect Recorder makes it easy to share and save your audio files so that you can focus on what you're doing by recording meetings or dictating ideas to refer to later.

Alternatives: Recorder, Voice Recorder, Windows Voice Recorder

Pocket File Manager

Amaze Pictures Inc

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: 1.49

The sheer amount of content and files that we want to keep around can often get a bit overwhelming, which is where the need for an effective file manager arises. Pocket File Manager lets users store and organise their files for retrieval when connected to a PC, compress files and folders into .zip files, save music and video into the media library and upload to services such as SkyDrive, Dropbox, and more.

Main Idea: For the disorganised professional, a file manager is one of the most important tools to have in your arsenal, and this user-friendly, multi-purpose file manager is a great choice.

Alternatives: Files, Real Manager, Briefcase

PrintHand

Dynamix USA LLC

Category: Business

Price: 3.89

Printing anything when you're away from your PC can be tricky, but PrintHand provides a quick and easy solution. As long as you're within reasonable distance of a compatible Wi-Fi printer, your Windows device will pick it up and allow you to print what you need even when out of the office. The app currently supports Epson laser, ink jet, Canon and HP printers and also works with Google Cloud Printing.

Main Idea: Apps that allow you to leave the office and be as mobile as possible are rising in popularity, and the ability to print from your device even when away from your desk gives you much more freedom.

Alternative: Print Now

Slack (Beta)

Slack Technologies, Inc.

Category: Business

Price: Free

Although Slack is still in beta for Windows Phone users and undoubtedly has some bugs, it is still one of the best team communication apps. With all of the usual featuresteam conversations, direct messages, private groups, file sharing, archives, and searchingeverything you need is at your fingertips.

Main Idea: If you're willing to deal with a few hiccups until Slack comes out of beta, this app is a great way to keep in touch with your team.

Translator

Microsoft Corp

Category: Travel

Price: Free

Translator was built by Microsoft's in-house apps team and leverages the technology behind Bing to help you overcome your language barriers. Translate text from 51 languages and voice from 18 languages. More impressive still is its instant translations from images captured on your phone camera: signs, menus and, albeit at a stretch, newspaper articles can be translated on-screen before your eyes. With additional offline support and the ability to save previously translated phrases, Microsoft's translation app is essential for those doing business outside their native country.

Main Idea: Voice and text translation provided by Microsoft's Bing service

Alternatives: Translator Pro Free, Translator 10 Beta

TranslatorTM

GoTiles

Category: Tools & Productivity

Price: Free

A simple yet effective translation app that's perfect for business users, Translator helps break that pesky language barrier with 85 languages available. Anyone working for global companies will find themselves in need of a good translation app, and this one is versatile and easy-to-use.

Main Idea: Remote workers and businesses operating internationally can often be hampered by language barriers, but this app allows them to quickly translate words and phrases straight from their phone.

Alternative: Translator

Voice Memos

Creobe Ltd

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free (in-app purchases)

Voice Memos by Creobe is a heavy-duty audio recorder. The app enables users to record when their phone screen is locked and includes the ability to geotag recordings. In the premium version, users can also save recordings as MP3 files, export them to their music library and add images to them. A useful tool for those in need of a better audio app than WP's built-in one.

Main Idea: Gives Windows Phone users greater flexibility over their sound recordings.

Alternatives: Squid, Mini Recorder

Bill Gates has revealed that he does not use a phone running his own company's Windows mobile operating system.

Speaking this past Sunday to Fox News, the Microsoft co-founder admitted: "Recently, I actually did switch to an Android phone." But he said he's installed and uses multiple Microsoft apps on his Android device.

Nevertheless, it's quite a step for the man who created his company to use its fierce rival's operating system.

However, Microsoft's phones are not exactly well loved. Microsoft's mobile operating system, Windows Phone, has struggled to be successful, especially in the face of Android. In fact, in 2016, Windows Phone accounted for less than 1% of global smartphone sales, according to Gartner, despite the company's $7.2 billion purchase of Nokia's handset business in 2014.

After cutting thousands of jobs from its mobile division in 2016, it appears that Microsoft may quietly retire Windows 10 Mobile OS, its latest mobile operating system, in October as planned.

Microsoft is instead shifting its focus and trying to widen the availability of Microsoft's apps and services to Android and iPhone in order to reach more customers, it is reported.

Ian Fogg, an analyst at the tech consultancy IHS Markit, told the BBC: "It used to be putting the Windows system on everyone's phone was a priority, but now it's about selling services such as Office and Outlook email."

For example, the company started selling its own customised Samsung's Galaxy 8 in the US earlier this year, which comes with Microsoft apps like Outlook, Office, and even Cortana, Microsoft's voice assistant.

Picture of Bill Gates/Credit: Masaru Kamikura (Flickr)

Statistics can be wildly misleading. Being third place in a market that's anticipated to be worth $355 billion by 2020 sounds like a pretty sweet spot to be in. But there are degrees of third place, and when first and second gobble up a cumulative 99.6% of the pie, it's probably best to cut your losses and admit that a life of eating crumbs isn't what your shareholders signed up for. Microsoft is taking the first step to that yesterday by officially ending support for Windows Phone 8.1.

On one level, this means very little. Windows Phone 8.1 is more than three years old now, and Microsoft has since moved to Windows 10 Mobile OS. The devil is in the detail, though. Last summer, Microsoft cut thousands of jobs from its mobile division, and the last phone it produced in-house was 2015's Lumia XL. Plus AdDuplex estimates that as of last month, just 20.3% of Windows Phone devices were running Windows 10, with 73.9% still on Windows Phone 8.1.

Plus, it's not like the signs for Windows 10 Mobile have been particularly rosy either. While desktop Windows 10 got a major facelift with the Creators Update, the mobile version barely got a look in and, as The Verge notes, nothing from the Fall Creators Update has found its way into testing on mobile. It seems increasingly likely that Windows 10 Mobile is simply going through the motions until its scheduled retirement next October.

It's been pretty obvious for a while that smartphone domination was turning into a two-horse race - it's just that a decade ago, you'd have thought that at least one of those horses would have Microsoft, BlackBerry, Nokia or Palm branding.

By the end of March, Facebook will no longer be supporting certain versions of its Messenger and Facebook apps.

"Using older versions of apps means that experiences won't work well or sometimes not at all," the social media giant explained in a blog post. "As a result, we are asking people who are using older versions to upgrade so they can enjoy more of the delightful features of Messenger."

If upgrading isn't an option, Facebook suggested that users switch to Facebook and Messenger Lite or access facebook.com through their mobile browsers.

The list of unsupported versions is as follows: Facebook for Android v55, Messenger v10, Facebook for iPad v26, Messenger v8, Facebook for iOS, Facebook for Windows Phone, Messenger for Windows Phone 8 and 8.1, and Facebook for Windows 8 and 8.1 desktop app.

In terms of operating systems, Facebook and Messenger apps will no longer be supported by Android versions 2.3 and older or Apple iOS versions iOS 7 and older. All Windows Phone operating systems will be largely affected as well.

While Facebook provided information on which versions and operating systems will be affected by this decision, one question still stands: How many users will lose access to their Facebook messaging apps?

In the grand scheme of things, not that many.

Windows Phone operating systems only account for 1.4% of the current total market share, 0.98% when strictly looking at OS 8.0 and 8.1, according to NetMarketShare, while only 1% of users are running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, according to the Android developer portal.

Apple users will be the most affected by this decision, though, as 4% of users are currently using iOS 7 or older versions, according to podcaster David Smith, across all Apple devices.

Still, with over one billion people using the Messenger app every month, it would be fair to say that many smartphone users will be losing access to these apps.

Microsoft has been awarded a patent for a Surface Phone that folds in half.

The phone would consist of tiled panels and a curved edge, and run multiple screens, according to MSPowerUser, which discovered the patent.

A major problem with hinged displays is that multiple panels often distort the user's perception of on-screen objects. The introduction of the curved edge could potentially address this issue by drawing light away from the gaps.

Since Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pulled his firm out of the phone hardware market under his tenure, Forbes argued that Microsoft would most likely focus its energy on software capabilities, not hardware, dismissing the patent.

However, a Surface Phone could run alongside the Surface Book and Surface Pro series to give users mobile, tablet, and laptop-esque devices, potentially of interesting to enterprises who have bought some Surfaces already and like the idea of running the same operating system across all employees' devices.

As nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft at this point, any word of the Surface Phone is merely speculation and unfortunately, it may be a while before we get any concrete evidence.

Recent reports suggest that the smartphone won't be launched until 2018 or 2019, if at all.

Picture: Free Patents Online

Microsoft has announced it will be shedding 2,850 jobs over the next 12 months, bringing the total number of redundancies announced this calendar year to nearly 5,000.

The news of the job losses was included in the company's annual 10-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and is in addition to the 1,850 job cuts announced in May this year.

According to the 10-K document, the "job eliminations" will once again focus primarily on its smartphone hardware business, as well as global sales, and are an extension of a restructuring plan announced in June 2015 to cut 7,400 positions over the course of the 2016 financial year.

Microsoft currently has around 114,000 full-time employees worldwide, meaning this latest round of job cuts will reduce its headcount by about 2.5 per cent.

The company said that "these actions are expected to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2017" - i.e. 30 June 2017.

While no further details were provided exactly in terms of timescale, Microsoft did add that it expects the "Phone Hardware Restructuring Plan", which was announced last year and incorporates a number of these latest redundancies, is "expected to be completed by the end of calendar year 2016". It is not clear from the filing, however, which countries are likely to be affected.

To date, it is still not entirely clear what Microsoft intends to do with its Windows Phone business. In May, CEO Satya Nadella and head of Windows and devices Terry Myerson said Microsoft is "streamlining" and "scaling back" the unit, but both indicated it is not withdrawing from the smartphone market entirely.

Instead, it is thought the company may be turning purely to the corporate market and returning to a strategy of using third-parties to manufacture the hardware.

Microsoft's cloud revenues hit $7 billion in its fourth financial quarter, despite overall revenue falling from $22 billion this time last year to $20 billion.

Breaking it down by Microsoft's business units, its productivity and business processes division was up five per cent year-on-year to $7 billion thanks to small gains in Office 365 subscriptions, Intelligent Cloud was up seven per cent to $6.7 billion, and Personal Computing was down four per cent to $8.9 billion.

Azure, its public cloud, had a growth rate of 102 per cent, doubling its revenues, though Microsoft did not break out actual figures for cloud, instead bundling them with its server software business.

That said, despite an increasing revenue, operating profit in its intelligent cloud businesses decreased 17 per cent to $2.19 billion in the quarter. This fall was blamed on higher research, development, sales and marketing costs.

Woeful sales of Windows smartphones saw revenue plunge by 71 per cent. The figure was slightly offset by Surface Pro sales, though, which were up by nine per cent.

Microsoft reported Windows OEM non-Pro revenue increased 27 per cent and Windows OEM Pro revenue increased two per cent.

Advertising revenues from search also rose 16 per cent.

"This past year was pivotal in both our own transformation and in partnering with our customers who are navigating their own digital transformations," said CEO Satya Nadella in a statement. "The Microsoft cloud is seeing significant customer momentum and we're well positioned to reach new opportunities in the year ahead."

Microsoft's latest AI system can automatically caption photos based on the people and objects in them, and the context they were taken in.

In development at Microsoft Research, the aim of the project is to explain what appears in a picture, as well as what seems to be happening and how it might potentially make a person feel, the researchers told Live Science.

Computers are already at work identifying what is in photos, such as Facebook's auto-tagging and Google's image search, which is capable of matching similar images based on colour, objects and even postures.

Facebook's own AI development group, FAIR, last year revealed its own AI can recognise images in photos, while in April this year it started captioning photos for blind people via its own Automatic Alternative Text engine.

In order to build its own system, Microsoft's researchers used deep learning methods, for instance, getting the computer to learn how to identify cats in photos by analysing thousands of examples of cats.

Scientists fed more than 8,100 new images into its storytelling system to analyse what stories it generated.

An image captioning program might take five images and suggest: "This is a picture of a family; this is a picture of a cake; this is a picture of a dog; this is a picture of a beach."

But Microsoft's storytelling program could take those same images and suggest: "The family got together for a cookout; they had a lot of delicious food; the dog was happy to be there; they had a great time on the beach; they even had a swim in the water."

The system is still in it early stage for the time being.

Researchers had to gauge how effective the system was at generating stories. Because of the large number of stories the computer generated, they deicide to use an automated method. They found that this automated method rated the computer storyteller as performing almost as well as human storytellers.

However, the system still has a tough time differentiating words, and in the initial tests, has been prone to describe everything as being "awesome".

Margaret Mitchell, study senior author and a computer scientist at Microsoft Research, said the future for this technology is to "help people share their experiences while reducing nitty-gritty work that some people find quite tedious".

This is the latest AI experiment from Microsoft's research arm, which also let loose the disastrous Tay chatbot on Twitter earlier this year.

Amazon recently built out its own AI division with the purchase of Orbeus, an image recognition firm.

Microsoft has signed an agreement with Chinese electronics company, Xiaomi, to pre-install several of its apps on "millions" of Android handsets.

As part of the deal, Xiaomi will include Microsoft Office and Skype on its Android-powered smartphones and tablets, which will predominantly be sold in China, India and other countries in the Far East and South America.

Microsoft said that "tens of millions of consumers and business customers" in these regions will now have greater access to its collaboration and communication software, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

This deal follows Microsoft's announcement last month that it would be pulling out of the consumer mobile market, and cutting 1,850 jobs in the process.

Versions of popular Office applications, such as Word and OneNote, have been available for iOS and Android for some years now. But Microsoft's push to get its apps pre-installed on handsets demonstrates that it is not backing away from mobile entirely, despite reducing its effort towards its failed Windows Phone platform.

"People want their favourite apps and experiences to work seamlessly on the device of their choice, and that's exactly what this partnership offers," said Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development at Microsoft.

"Together with Xiaomi, we're bringing the very best in mobile productivity to millions more customers in China and around the world."

Xiaomi is long-time partner of Microsoft, and is also the only Android handset manufacturer which offers a Windows 10 Mobile ROM for one of its phones.

From September 2016, Xiaomi Android devices which include the Mi 5, Mi Max, Mi 4s, Redmi Note 3 and Redmi 3 will come pre-installed with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Skype applications.

The specific apps may vary by device, market and mobile operator.

The companies' new collaboration also includes a cross-license and patent transfer agreement.

Pre-installed apps are major business, and companies have gotten into trouble for incentivising handset manufacturers to offer selected apps on their devices. Recently, Google came under fire from the European Commission which concluded that the Android maker's collection of pre-installed apps have stunned competition for other app developers and service providers in Europe.

Microsoft's Windows Phone platform is struggling to stay alive, new figures published by analyst firm Gartner suggest.

While worldwide smartphone sales grew three per cent during the first quarter of the year, Windows Phone's share of the market fell below one per cent, down from 2.5 per cent a year ago.

Gartner estimated that only 2.4 million Windows Phone devices were sold in the first quarter, around 0.7 per cent of the total market.

Things are worse for one-time smartphone pioneer Blackberry, which claimed just 0.2 per cent of sales.

The horrendous figures come a week after Microsoft announced its plans to sell off its feature phone business to a subsidiary of Foxconn, HMD, for $350 million.

Microsoft's late arrival to the smartphone market appears to have condemned it to failure, as rivals Apple and Google's own platforms dominate the scene.

Overall, worldwide smartphone sales topped 349 million units in the first quarter of the year, driven mainly by low-end smart devices in emerging markets and cheaper 4G phones.

"In a slowing smartphone market where large vendors are experiencing growth saturation, emerging brands are disrupting existing brands' long-standing business models," said Gartner research director Anshul Gupta.

"With such changing smartphone market dynamics, Chinese brands are emerging as the new top global brands."

Gupta said that two Chinese brands ranked within the top five worldwide smartphone vendors in the first quarter of 2015, and represented 11 per cent of the market.

"In the first quarter of 2016, there were three Chinese brands Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi and they achieved 17 per cent of the market," he said, adding that Nokia's re-emergence will not prove an easy ride for the firm.

"Nokia's announced return to the smartphone and tablet markets will not be an easy mission. In today's market it takes much more than a well-known brand to sell devices. Making good hardware won't be an issue for Nokia, but users need a compelling reason to remain loyal to the same brand," he said.

"Furthermore, that the smartphone market is slowing down makes it difficult for mobile phone vendors to reach previous levels of growth."

Although Windows Phone has failed to find mainstream success, Microsoft's Lumia range has nonetheless built a devoted following of hardcore fans. This is largely because the cheapest members of the Lumia range are very cheap indeed, yet have none of the horribly laggy responsiveness and performance problems that have traditionally plagued similarly price Android smartphones.

The Lumia 535 is one of Microsoft's cheapest Windows smartphones at well under 100 inc VAT SIM-free, but it's not the bargain that it appears to be.

Casing and appearance

The Lumia 535 is a budget handset available in a range of bright, distinctive and cheerful colours, but it feels very cheaply made. The build quality is shocking - the phone is audibly creaky, with noticeable flex when put under any pressure.

This is partly because of the detachable rear shell which feels ridiculously flimsy. It also picks up fingerprints far too easily.

The rear covers are interchangeable, however, so you can swap it out for a differently coloured option later if you so wish.

However, there's no 4G or NFC. You can add more storage via MicroSD card which will be a necessity given the paltry 8GB of built-in storage.

Display and performance

It's not surprising that the Lumia 535 is a bit underpowered, given its low price, but it's disappointing even by the low standards of budget phones. It's fitted with 1GB of RAM and a quad-core Snapdragon 200 clocked at 1.2GHz, which should be fine, in theory, especially since Windows tends to cope well with modest components.

In practice, however, the 535 is sluggish and jerky, with long load times and an occasional failure to register button-presses at all. Software updates have fixed a few of the phone's issues, but it's still painfully obvious that the 535's hardware can't quite cut the mustard.

It's the same story with battery life. The Lumia 535's battery managed just 7 hours and 10 minutes in our video playback benchmark, which is well below the competition.

The 5in display has resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. It's not very sharp, but it's just about good enough. The phone's excellent brightness makes up for this to an extent, but the trade-off is that blacks look noticeably grey and washed-out.

Camera

The Lumia 535 has five-megapixel cameras on both the front and back of the phone, but we weren't very impressed with the overall picture quality. Outdoors, our shots were reasonably well-exposed with rich, accurate colours, but particularly light or bright areas seemed to bleed out into the surrounding picture, making certain areas appear slightly soft and hazy. We found this rather off-putting as it removed a lot of the detail on show and gave everything a noticeable white and yellowish sheen. Objects and buildings further also weren't particularly crisp round the edges, and shadow areas looked a little green.

Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile

Windows Phone 8.1 is undeniably one of the cleanest and most user-friendly mobile operating systems and is generally a breeze to navigate. Cortana, the built-in voice-activated personal assistant, isn't quite as smart and spot-on as Google Now but it's not far off. On the downside, it still has a fairly massive dearth of apps.

All the essentials are there in some form, but many lag behind their Android and iOS counterparts, and many companies have dropped support for Windows Phone altogether. If you're someone who regularly relies on apps, this is not the phone for you.

Microsoft has confirmed that the Lumia 535 will receive a free upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile, although our review unit has yet to receive it. When it does, it's highly, highly unlikely to get Continuum given that the newer and more powerful Lumia 650 doesn't get it. This is a shame as it's one of Windows 10 Mobile's best features and is one of the few things that sets Microsoft's latest mobile OS apart from the competition.

Conclusions

While you could argue that the Lumia 535's litany of flaws and disappointments are forgivable given the rock-bottom asking price, there's a raft of similarly priced Android models that are far better value.

There's simply no reason to settle for this many compromises when other manufacturers are regularly churning out far more impressive devices at around the same price.

Verdict

Not even its bargain-bin price can save this Windows phone from its many, many inadequacies

Microsoft's mobile platform is treading water, as revenues plunge ever further and the company's top brass making clear they are not planning to invest in it.

Redmond revealed today that its phone division saw revenue drop 46 per cent this quarter, after falling 49 per cent the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's Lumia phone hardware, which makes up most of the devices running Windows Phone, sold just 2.3 million units this quarter, a 73 per cent drop year-on-year.

To put that in perspective, Apple sold 75 million iPhones in the last three months of 2015.

The question is: Is Windows Phone dead, or can anyone revive it?

All in all, Windows Phone doesn't paint a pretty picture. According to analyst firmIDC, Windows on phones accounts for around 2.6 per cent of the market, compared to 82 per cent for Android and 14 per cent for iOS.

While iOS is only available on the iPhone, which starts at 350 in the UK, Windows Phone - or Windows 10 Mobile as it is now known - is available on all kinds of devices across all ranges. The cheapest phone that runs the operating system, the Lumia 435, starts at 49.99, while the most expensive, the Lumia 950, starts at 469.99.

A 2.6 per cent share for such a wide range of devices is a disaster that Microsoft has been dancing around for a while, but it came to a head at Build 2016, as CEO Satya Nadella outlined a future of talking "bots" that could replace apps.

When asked why the company made no mention of Windows Phone during a keynote lasting nearly three hours,Terry Myerson, the head of Windows, told The Vergethat "we're fully committed to that 4-inch screen" but "it's the wrong place for us to lead".

Instead, Myerson said, Microsoft is focusing on devices with screens between nine and 30-inches as well as its virtual reality headset, HoloLens.

But his admission that Windows Phone is not a place the company wants to invest in has caused many to speculate that Windows Phone is now dead.

"Microsoft is much more focused on other areas," Francisco Jeronimo, a senior researcher at IDC, told IT Pro."If Windows Phone continues to perform how it has been performing, it will take them nowhere."

However, the platform clearly still has resources, with LinkedIn listing around 9,000 people who currently work at Microsoft with "Windows Phone" in their bios, either as current or former work.

Enterprise shift

The focus has simply shifted to enterprise, an area where Microsoft is seeing a decent level of adoption, according to IDC.

"In the enterprise segment, Microsoft has a chance," said Jeronimo. "They are looking at selling a bundle of products and services, rather than just the operating system, and when they go to a client and offer a device that comes with Continuum, the docking station, and Windows 10, it can be quite interesting."

While Apple has built a formidable enterprise empire out of selling iPhones to businesses, Microsoft still has the best relationships with companies whose employees number in the thousands.

Many of these companies already use Office, Windows, Azure, and any other service Microsoft offers, so having a phone that can quickly and easily link into this infrastructure is an appealing deal.

For many organisations, distributing Windows Phones to staff makes sense. Managing a range of iPhones and Android phones - which, it's worth noting, could come from thousands of different manufacturers - is time consuming and expensive. Microsoft, on the other hand, can offer the hardware and the software to manage it, and services beyond that.

"Companies have realised it costs a lot more to manage very different versions of phone OSes, hardware, etc, and it's easier just to roll out corporate phones on one platform," said Jeronimo. "Many companies are going back and giving employees the phone they want, or allowing them to choose between a set."

A lack of promotion

One reason for the failure of Windows Phone in the consumer market could be the lack of promotion Microsoft put behind the operating system. While the company did run adverts, they were nowhere near as extensive as Samsung or Apple, the two leaders with more than 98 per cent of the smartphone market's profits.

"Microsoft is one of my clients and I always criticise them because no one knew what Windows Phone is," said Jeronimo. "If users got to try the experience, they would've liked it."

Even the "app gap", where many popular apps are not available on Windows, is closing thanks to the Universal Windows Platform. New additions, like Uber, may appeal to those wanting to switch from an iPhone or Android phone, but they didn't exist a few years ago when it really mattered.

Diagnosis

It's safe to say that Windows Phone is not in a good place and Microsoft may be right to focus its attentions elsewhere, like Windows or "bots", as it unveiled at Build.

Apple and Samsung dominate the consumer market and, while there is a glimmer of hope in the enterprise market, it would seem that Microsoft will never be able to compete fully.

However, that doesn't mean that Windows Phone is dead, or that Microsoft should kill it. Market share aside, the platform is competitive with iOS and Android and has some cool features, like the Live Tiles, that users genuinely love.

It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will decide to re-invest in the platform in future, but if it does, Windows Phone may yet survive.

Opera has become the latest app to shutter its Windows Phone division, announcing that its developers will be focusing on its Android and iOS versions instead.

An official Opera blog post announced that "no major updates are planned for the next few months", and that the staff working on features such as cross-device syncing for Windows Phone "are now dedicating their time to our other apps".

The app is not being abandoned completely however, and Opera "will continue to make sure the browser on Windows Phone is still secure to use". The blog also reassures users that "the developers are also keeping an eye on bugs to fix major annoyances as they can".

Many users have been asking for a Universal Windows Platform app (UWP) that works across all Windows 10 devices. Sadly, while Opera has said that it is "high on our wish list", it concedes that its staff "don't have the resources" to develop it.

Another possibility raised was porting the existing iOS version over top Windows 10, using Microsoft's Project Islandwood tool. "Our teams did look into it as a possibility," the blog explains, "but unfortunately it wasn't a good solution".

Instead, the company is opting to focus solely on Android and iOS, updating the Windows Phone version only for the most critical flaws. The blog post reassure users that this is "not set in stone," and added that it is "hoping to review the platform later this year."

"We'd be building cool stuff on every platform and operating system in the world if we could," Opera said, but it also admitted that Android and iOS are "where our strengths and biggest user communities are".

Worldwide smartphone sales are estimated to reach 1.5 billion units in 2016, a new report on device shipments from research group Gartner predicts.

Gartner said this represents just seven per cent growth compared to last year, indicating a reduction in demand for the devices. In January, the analyst house predicted 2016 would be the first time there would be a collective decline in smartphones, tablets and PC sales.

The group's forecast put this change down to flat growth in the major markets of China and North America this year.

"Historically, worsening economic conditions had negligible impact on smartphone sales and spend, but this is no longer the case," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. "China and North America smartphone sales are on pace to be flat in 2016, exhibiting a 0.7 per cent and 0.4 per cent growth respectively."

In developed markets, including North America, Western Europe and Japan, Gartner research director Annette Zimmermann said growth is also slowing due to longer smartphone lifetimes.

"As carriers' deals become more complex, users are likely to hold onto phones, especially as the technology updates become incremental rather than exponential," she said. "In addition, the volumes of users upgrading from basic phones to premium phones will slow, with more basic phones being replaced with the same type of phone."

Sales in India, by contrast, are on track for double-digit growth in the next two years, Gartner claimed.

Gartner has also predicted 150 million consumers will delay upgrading to smartphones in the emerging Asia Pacific markets through to 2019, until the functionality and price points becomes more desirable.

The total mobile phone market, which includes feature phones, is forecast by Gartner to reach 1.9 billion units in 2016.

While things may not be looking so good for smartphones, the opposite seems to be happening with PCs.

"In 2016, the PC market will reach its last year of decline before returning to growth in 2017," said Atwal.

Specifically, Gartner predicts a total 284 million PC shipments in 2016, a decline of 1.5 per cent year on year, as well as a fall in traditional PC sales by 6.7 per cent.

Atwal added: "The biggest challenge, and potential benefit for the PC market, is the integration of Windows 10 with Intel's Skylake architecture. It has the potential for new form factors with more attractive features."

Windows 10 Mobile could be launching today, according to reports.

The operating system's rollout onto legacy devices running Windows Phone 8.1 would begin on 17 March, according to a VentureBeat article written by notorious leaker Evan Blass.

The report, which cited a source close to the matter, said that the update will initially be delivered as a 'pull' model, meaning users will need to trigger it manually from the phone's update menu.

Microsoft will use push notifications to promote the new OS at an unspecified later date, Blass said.

The tech giant is widely expected to deliver the update in batches, meaning some phones will get the update before others. This likely means that the company's most widely-used models will be eligible first.

This information has reportedly been confirmed by T-Mobile Croatia. The carrier confirmed that customers with select Lumia devices will be able to initiate the update from today, with more devices following in subsequent waves, according to NokiaMob (translated).

Microsoft itself has lent further credence to these rumours by publishing a similar list of phones that will receive the upgrade; a list which matches closely with the one sent out by the telco.

Both agree that the Lumia 435, 535, 635 (1GB RAM model), 640, 640XL, 735, 830 and 930 will be eligible, with Microsoft's list also adding the Lumia 430, 532 and 540. Interestingly, however, the flagship Lumia 1520 appears on T-Mobile's list, but is absent from Microsoft's.

None of these details are officially confirmed, however, and Windows Phone users will have to wait until Microsoft officially unveils its plans to find out the details for sure.

IT Pro has approached Microsoft for comment.

Ever since it launched the Lumia 950, Microsoft's been keen to emphasise the business applications of Windows 10 Mobile and rightly so. Continuum, for instance, is by far the biggest and best new feature of the entire operating system, as this let you to connect the Lumia 950 or 950 XL to an external display, mouse and keyboard and turn it into an easily transportable desktop PC using Microsoft's Display Dock accessory.

As we mentioned in our Lumia 950 XL review, Continuum still has some way to go before it can match a proper Windows 10 PC or laptop experience, as its window management and multi-tasking capabilities are rather lacking. However, there's clearly a lot of potential here and it could still be massively useful for employees who hot desk round the office, as it effectively negates the need (in some circumstances) to carry round a laptop all day.

It's curious, then, that the Lumia 650, one of Microsoft's first budget entries in its new Windows 10 Lumia family and the phone that's arguably most likely to be bought en masse for company employees, has no Continuum support whatsoever. Instead of having a USB-C port like the Lumia 950 or 950 XL, the Lumia 650 only has a regular Micro USB connector, thereby making it incompatible with Microsoft's Display Dock. Without Continuum, the Lumia 650 has already lost one of its key selling points, and it makes the rest of the phone a much harder sell compared its older, and now considerably cheaper, predecessors.

Casing and screen

One thing the Lumia 650 does have in its favour is its top class casing. With its metal frame and diamond-cut edges that measure just 6.9mm thick, the Lumia 650 is a world away from the glossy, curvy plastic shells of Lumias past. It's a shame it doesn't come in slightly more colourful variants, but the choice of matt black or matt white should suit professionals who want something a little more unassuming than the latest Android flagship.

It's a beautifully made phone, and its smooth rear panel can be lifted off to reveal a replaceable battery and microSD slot to expand its 16GB of onboard storage. It's just about small enough for one-handed use, too, so you shouldn't have to stretch too much to reach the Action Centre at top of the phone or tap any Live Tiles on the other side of the screen.

Microsoft doesn't stop there, either, as it's also included a 5in OLED display. It's rare to see an OLED screen on a phone of this price, as these are typically reserved for more expensive handsets. To see one on the Lumia 650, however, is a very welcome change, as it means the screen's colour accuracy and contrast levels are above and beyond what we'd normally expect to see from a budget smartphone. It only has a 1,280x720 resolution, but the screen still looks perfectly sharp and clear.

Performance and Battery Life

Sadly, Microsoft shoots itself in the foot by equipping the Lumia 650 with an elderly 1.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 quad-core processor. Even when paired with 1GB of RAM, the Lumia 650 performed very poorly in all of our benchmarks, and its 3D performance was particularly abysmal. This is arguably less important for business users, but when it struggles to load Microsoft's own Photos app, the Lumia 650 quickly becomes more of a daily irritation than anything else.

Web browsing was admittedly a little better, as it was able to cope with media-heavy pages without too much stutter, but it can often take a full minute for every last picture and advert to appear onscreen.

It does, at least, have enough stamina to get you through the better part of the day. Its 2,000mAh battery managed 11 and a half hours of usage in our video playback battery life test, which is pretty respectable compared to other phones in its price range.

Camera

Like the Lumia 640 before it, the Lumia 650 comes with an eight megapixel rear camera. That's a little low when the vast majority of budget phones are all now starting to come with 13 megapixel sensors, but the Lumia 650 does give you plenty of control over the quality of your images. Like the Lumia 950, Microsoft's camera app lets you change the white balance, ISO, shutter speed and brightness. It also comes with Microsoft's Rich Capture mode, which combines HDR and post-processing to automatically take the best picture possible regardless of lighting conditions.

In practice, however, we couldn't see any discernible difference between the pictures taken with Rich Capture, and those without. Colours were equally neutral across both modes, and detail levels were relatively unchanged.

It coped reasonably well in low lighting conditions. Colours were a little dim, but noise was kept to a minimum and there was a decent level of detail.

Conclusions

Without the draw of Windows 10 Continuum, it feels like the Lumia 650 is perpetually on the back foot. It never really makes the most of its new operating system, and there's very little to distinguish it from its Windows Phone 8-based predecessors apart from its metal frame and beautiful OLED display.

In every other respect, it's more or less a clone of the Lumia 640. It wouldn't be so bad if the Lumia 650 was a bit faster, but its day-to-day performance just isn't good enough to compete with other phones in the same price range. Even the Lumia 640 feels a lot nippier than the 650, and that's over a year old.

It's possible the Lumia 650 is a sign of greater things to come from Microsoft in the near future, but for now, the Lumia 650 remains a rather forgettable Windows phone whose inner workings just don't do justice to its superb outer shell.

Verdict

All style and no substance, the Lumia 650 doesn’t have the speed to compete with its nearest competitors and its lack of Continuum means it misses out on Windows 10 Mobile's best feature

New York Police Department (NYPD) plans to roll out Microsoft's Window Phone platform to all 36,000 of its officers, after praising the operating system for modernising law enforcement.

The phones are part of the force's wider IT strategy to modernise its policing tools, and the devices, which come pre-loaded with special crime-fighting apps, will be issued by the end of the month, NY1 reported.

"It is clear that these department smartphones represent the single largest transformation in emergency communications in over a half of century for sure," said Jessica Tisch, NYPD's deputy commissioner for information technology, told the publication.

More than 25,000 NYPD officers are currently using the phones, and parts of the NYPD have used them since late 2014. The devices replace old technology like walkie-talkies and written warrants with their custom-designed apps.

NYPD officers can receive 911 emergency calls on the Windows Phones, view reports of disturbances through the "shot-spotter system" and be issued with digital warrants, enabling them to search buildings more quickly.

The NYPD's use technology is set to continue, according to police commissioner Bill Bratton.

"We've already begun to look at using FaceTime and Skype on these devices so the officers may never need to have to go to traffic court or summonses court," Bratton said.

FaceTime is exclusive to iOS, so either the force is also using iPhones or the commissioner mistakenly used this trademarked name to mean a general video messaging service.

The NYPD's use of Windows Phone comes after analysts predicted the death of the operating system, whose market share has shrunk in recent years.

Microsoft has always tried to strike a delicate compromise with its Windows Phone handsets, balancing Android-style flexibility with iPhone-style fit and finish. Much has changed, of course, since Redmond launched Windows Phone 7 back in 2010. There are now precious few Windows mobile manufacturers besides Microsoft itself, while many of Microsoft's best apps, notably Office, are available on Android and iOS.

This puts the Lumia 950 XL, Microsoft's new flagship phablet, and the rechristened Windows 10 Mobile in the odd position of having to differentiate itself from rival platforms without relying on the traditional exclusivity crutch of Office, Outlook and Exchange. The new platform does indeed have plenty of unique capabilities all its own.

Windows Hello

Unusually for a modern flagship smartphone, the Lumia 950 XL doesn't have a fingerprint reader for quickly and easily unlocking the phone in lieu of an easily forgotten passcode. It instead uses its front-facing camera and the Windows Hello eye and facial recognition system to recognise you on sight instead.

Windows 10 on desktops and laptops has a very similar feature that works very well, but it's more of a challenge on a smartphone as it has to work in an even wider variety of lighting conditions. The first problem we had to overcome though was in setting it up. One of IT Pro's staff members has a wandering eyeball which the Windows Hello setup wizard initially and stubbornly refused to recognise. Only by sitting very still and concentrating hard so that his eye didn't move at all for a minute or two, did the setup wizard deign to recognize his eyes.

Although this is admittedly an edge case, and a somewhat odd and hilarious outlier at that, it does show some of the limitations and trade-offs with eye and facial recognition.

Once this surreal rigmarole was complete, Windows Hello worked well even on a dimly lit London street at night although it wasn't as fast as the latest fingerprint readers on rival phones, taking several seconds to recognize a face. The one thing that it did have trouble with was movement walking briskly down that street and attempting to unlock the phone just wouldn't work. It's certainly possible quirks like this will be ironed out in future versions of Windows Hello, but for now it's not as instantaneously convenient as a fingerprint scanner and that's putting aside the use of fingerprints for ecommerce authentication on rival phones which has no equivalent on Windows 10 Mobile.

Continuum

We've looked at Windows Continuum running on the Lumia 950 with Apple's USB-C output adapter as we didn't have Microsoft's official Display Dock to hand. Now we do and while we're still impressed with Continuum's ability to turn a Windows 10 Mobile phone into an almost fully-fledged PC, simply by plugging a monitor, keyboard and mouse into the phone via a USB-C adapter, the same limitations remain.

You can't have more than.one app or window on screen simultaneously and the responsiveness of the user interface can become sluggish especially if you have a lot of tabs open in Edge running complex webapps. You'll almost certainly have to use at least some webapps, as Windows phone apps have to be Universal' to work in Continuum mode.

Still, Microsoft's Dock is well made and helps make Continuum as good as it can be given its current limitations. It worked seamlessly with our HDMI monitor at the full supported 1080p resolution unlike third-party, officially unsupported docks. You can connect a monitor via either HDMI or Displayport. There are three USB2 ports for connecting storage printers and other peripherals won't work due to the lack of drivers. The Dock itself is made out of sturdy metal with a non-slip rubberised bottom so it doesn't slide around your desk.

Besides the sluggishness and lack of Universal apps compatible with Continuum mode, the biggest problem with this still technically impressive mode is the real lack of purpose for it. Given its restricted capabilities, it's of most use in scenarios such as digital signage, limited use terminals in public spaces such as libraries and lobbies and perhaps hot desking for employees who only have basic computing tasks.

Update: HP has announced its own Windows 10 Mobile smartphone, the Elite X3. This phone can dock with its own inexpensive laptop accessory, either by USC-C or wirelessly, so you can use it for tasks that benefit from a bigger screen and a keyboard.

If using your phone as an inexpensive laptop is appealing but you want to stuck with Microsoft's Lumias, then the crowd funded Nexdock will appeal. This third-party MacBook Air-lookalike laptop dock doesn't just work with Windows 10 Mobile it can also be used with stick PCs and Raspberry Pi computers and as a more limited wireless display for Android and iOS devices.

We've covered many of the other new features of Windows 10 Mobile in our Lumia 950 review. Although less visually distinctive than Windows Phone 7 and 8, it's still a slick mobile operating system hampered by the continuing lack of apps and apps that are kept up-to-date too.

Casing and USB-C

Like the smaller 950, the Lumia 950XL has a black plastic casing that's not only boxy but very plain compared to the curvier and more colourful Lumias of years past. The only stylistic flourish is the attractive glass and metal frontage of the protruding camera lens. Unusually, there's both a replaceable battery and a micro SD slot.

Like an increasing number of smartphones, the 950XL has a USB-C port instead of the ubiquitous micro USB. This not only ensures fast charging, but the reversible connector means it doesn't matter which way up you plug in the cable.

Unsurprisingly for a 5.7in phablet, this phone requires two-handed use unless you have massive paws. Single-handed use, especially if you have small hands, is out of the question.

Display and Performance

The screen does look good though with great colour accuracy and contrast as expected for an AMOLED screen. It's very sharp too thanks to the high resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. The one hiccup is brightness. While far from dark, it's not the brightest screen we've seen so you may have trouble using it outside on a very sunny day.

Other reviewers have complained of inconsistent performance and responsiveness on the 950XL. The eight-core Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of memory never had any trouble providing a smooth experience, no matter what app we were using which is certainly more than can be said when the same CPU is grappling with Continuum.

One mild area of disappointment was battery life. While 13 hours of video playback is nothing to sneeze at, other phablets managed to last a couple hours longer. It lasted just under 24 hours when connected to EE's 4G network in central London and used for a mixture of photography, web browsing, calls and GPS which is a little less than we'd expect for a phone of this size.

Conclusions

It's no surprise that the Lumia 950XL is essentially just a bigger version of the 950 with all the benefits and disadvantages that entails. The few people invested in Microsoft's mobile operating system will love it, but there's little in the hardware to attract new fans. The same applies to Windows 10 Mobile itself. The dearth of apps is a major problem and the operating system's few distinctive features, Continuum and Windows Hello, aren't yet polished enough to be real draws. Microsoft, alas, remains stuck in a distant third place in both the mobile marketplace and our affections.

This review was first published on 18/01/2016 and has since been updated, most recently on 26/02/2016.

Verdict

A good-enough phablet, but you’d need to have huge faith in Microsoft’s ability to catch up with its competitors to buy this Windows 10 Mobile phone over the Android and iOS alternatives

Nokia has confirmed it plans on selling smartphones again, nearly two years since it sold its hardware arm to Microsoft for 4.6 billion.

Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri announced the Finnish company's intention to return to the sector it once dominated during a press conference at MWC 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, today, according to CNET.

"There's no timeline, there's no rush," said Suri at the event. "It could happen in 2016, it could happen later."

Nokia, a 150-year-old company, started life in the forestry and power industries before becoming a hit mobile manufacturer during the growth years of the feature phone era in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Mobile phones such as the 3210 and 3310 were ubiquitous consumer devices during their heyday, but the arrival of Apple's first iPhone in 2007 changed Nokia's fortunes and the mobile industry completely.

Failing to keep pace with Apple, Samsung and other rivals, Nokia partnered with Microsoft, ditching its Symbian OS in favour of Windows Phone in 2011. Three years later, Microsoft bought Nokia's mobile division in a doomed bid to belatedly enter the smartphone market.

The deal between the two companies meant Nokia was barred from making smartphones until the second half of 2016, according to VentureBeat.

Suri hinted that it might return to the smartphone market last summer, saying the company won't produce the phones itself, but license the Nokia brand to a manufacturer.

Today, the CEO told the audience at MWC that Nokia is holding on for the right partner instead of leaping back into the market with a "premium" offering.

But he suggested that Nokia would like to retain a level of creative control.

"We want to be in a position to design the devices in question with appropriate control measures in case they don't meet expectations," he said.

Suri added that he believes Nokia can still make an impact on the modern mobile market, saying: "The recognition of the brand is still very high in all the major markets. We think it's a good business model."

Since being locked out of making devices, Nokia has sold off its mapping business, HERE maps, to German carmakers and has been exploring 5G networks in its home country. It has also announced plans for new datacentres in the UK.

In a surprise move, HP Inc has re-entered the smartphone market with the Elite X3. Powered by Windows 10 Mobile, the HP Elite X3 is aimed very specifically at businesses rather than consumers. Like Microsoft's 950-series Lumias, the X3 can be used as a basic desktop PC with the right adapters. It has extra tricks up its sleeve though - it can also transform into a laptop.

Apart from an attractive irregular pattern on its speaker grill, the X3 has a plain black appearance with curved edges. The casing is apparently IP67 and MIL-STD-810-G compliant, so it should be water and dust resistant as well as capable of surviving falls from around four feet up.

The massive 6in screen has a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, which is driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 eight-core processor and 4GB of memory. In a first for a Windows 10 phone, it has a fingerprint reader in addition to iris recognition powered by the eight-megapixel front-facing camera. The fingerprint reader appeared to be absent from the pre-production model we saw though.

The X3 doesn't just depend on dual biometric authentication for its business appeal. The presence of a USB-C port means that you can use Continuum - connect the phone to a monitor and you can use Windows Universal apps in a desktop-style interface with a keyboard and mouse. HP will sell its own USB-C-based Desk Dock for this purpose equipped with a pair of full-size USB3 ports alongside DisplayPort and Ethernet connectors as well as a Kensington security slot.

Unusually, HP will also sell a battery-powered mobile dock, the Mobile Extender. It's essentially a 1kg 12.5in laptop that's dependent on the X3 for its processing power. The phone is paired with the laptop via either WiFi or USB-C. Although we weren't able to try this out as HP's sole Mobile Extender pre-production unit wasn't completely functional, we do hope that the build quality of the laptop dock will be improved. The plastic casing was surprisingly creaky, bending under pressure loudly and extremely easily. The keyboard, while large with plenty of travel, felt a bit rattly.

The Continuum experience, which we've found to be somewhat restrictive as it's limited to running a single app at any one time, will need fine-tuning to run smoothly on the X3. Despite the octa-core Snapdragon 820, the general smoothness and responsiveness of the Windows 10 Mobile interface was laggy and sluggish - whether on the phone's touchscreen or when controlled using a keyboard and mouse on an external monitor.

HP Inc has added an extra dimension to Continuum with the HP Workspace app. This allows you to run virtualised desktop apps hosted off a server on the X3 when the phablet is in Continuum mode. However, it's currently not clear if it will work with all popular hypervisors or only some of them.

HP Inc has also added app-level VPN-support to Windows 10 Mobile. The X3 will also come with Salesforce apps pre-installed, although these won't be Universal Apps at first so they won't run in Continuum.

We weren't expecting much from the rear-facing camera, but we were still shocked by the psychedlically unrealistic colours and incredibly noisy graininess at all ISO levels. Admittedly, HP's exhibition space had particularly bad lighting, but it struggled far more than our iPhone 6s Plus. Even autofocussing was a struggle.

The HP Elite X3 (originally code-named the HP Falcon) will also support dual SIMs, have dual front-facing speakers, a micro SD slot that supports cards up to 2TB and have Cat 6 LTE as well as 2x2 802.11ac WiFi. The five-pin pogo connector will support third-party accessories from battery cases to add-ons capable of processing credit card payments.

Pricing for the X3 and all its various docking accessories has yet to be confirmed. HP Inc wasn't able to provide an exact release date, but it should be out by mid to late summer of this year. Although this gap is apparently there to allow HP Inc to solicit feedback from potential bulk buy customers, it also risks losing valuable momentum. HP has been out of the smartphone business for years and Windows 10 Mobile has thus far shown little sign of rejuvenating Microsoft's smartphone fortunes. The massed Universal apps need to help make Continuum a really attractive feature are thin on the ground. HP Inc's big Windows phablet bet is a risky one that's by no means assured of success.

Update 20/01/2016 - added more details about Continuum and iris unlocking with Windows Hello

Microsoft is the undisputed master of desktop software with the dominance of Windows unquestioned. The relative failure of Windows Phone must therefore be an uncomfortable and unfamiliar experience for Redmond, but failure can breed innovation.

The Lumia 950 is one of the first Windows phones completely designed under the new Microsoft Mobile name rather than the now discarded Nokia branding. It's also the first phone we've seen to run Windows 10 Mobile, the new and somewhat confusingly named successor to Windows Phone 8. This combination of new hardware and software is a mix of the beguilingly innovative and the frustratingly half-baked.

Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 Mobile doesn't appear that different from its predecessors at first glance with the same Live Tile-dominated home screen as before. There have been numerous changes to the interface though, most noticeably the toning down of the distinctive typography.

The previously large words doubling as titles and buttons are now much smaller, while the horizontal-scrolling toolbars have now largely been replaced with the hamburger menus familiar to Android and iOS users. Many of the eye-catching animations have been toned down too.

Microsoft's keyboard now has a virtual mini-joystick for quickly and precisely moving the cursor through words in sentences, but it was fitful and fiddly in our experience

The new, smaller and more mundane typography makes better use of the available screen space, but we can't but help feel bereaved Windows on a phone now looks far less distinctive than it did before.

There are plenty of other welcome changes, albeit mostly minor. The Edge web browser replaces the old Internet Explorer and is more standards compliant. You can also change its default search engine from Bing to Google, although the dedicated Search soft key present at the bottom of the screen throughout the Windows 10 Mobile interface is still tied to Cortana and Bing. The swipe-down notifications and quick access settings drawer now greatly resembles the one in Windows 10 on the desktop with actionable notifications.

The Here-based Maps app now has more up-to-date maps with business and location data that's more accurate. It also has the excellent public transport directions feature previously found in the separate Here Transit app. However, we found that it's still not as accurate as Google Maps especially the further away we got from central London. The panning and zooming can also be surprisingly laggy and imprecise.

Microsoft's Maps app now has a version of Google's Street View feature

The Outlook email app now has gesture-based actions and shortcuts, such as swiping in from the right on a message to delete it. Settings can now be searched by keyword, while the SMS Messages app can now integrate with Skype.

The previous catch-all Office app has been split into separate Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps which more closely resembled their iOS and Android counterparts. They're obviously far more basic than their desktop or even their tablet counterparts, but are still surprisingly capable Word, for example, supports basic styles and change tracking.

Update 20/1/2016 - Windows Hello uses the front-facing webcam to recognise your eyes and thus unlock the phone, taking the place of a passcode. It's a feature unique to Windows 10 Mobile and thus currently only available on the Lumia 950 and its bigger cousin, the 950 XL. We've covered the mobile version of Windows Hello in more depth in our 950XL review.

Continuum

The single biggest new feature in Windows 10, and one that only works on certain phones including the Lumia 950, is Continuum. Connect the 950 to a keyboard, mouse and display and you can use it as an almost fully-fledged PC. It's a remarkably futuristic-seeming technology that worked surprisingly well in our experience. However, there are a lot of caveats.

First of all, you'll need a way of connecting the 950 to your display either wirelessly or via an adapter plugged into the phone's USB-C port. Microsoft wasn't able to supply its own HDMI and DisplayPort-equipped Display Dock, so we instead used a third-party adapter (as you might do yourself when caught short in the field) in this case Apple's USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter. This adapter has a USB-C port for power, a VGA socket and a full-size USB2 port.

Microsoft's Display Dock looks impressively small and has lots of ports - but we wouldn't know as Microsoft was unable to send us one

After plugging everything in, a Windows 10-style desktop appeared on our 22in 1080p monitor which we controlled using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Impressively we were able to continue using the phone, such as checking Facebook, answering calls or triaging email, while browsing the web or working in the Office apps on the external monitor. If you don't have a USB or Bluetooth mouse to hand, you can use the phone's screen as a touchpad. This clever trick only works well if the phone is oriented on your desk in portrait mode though.

This is impressive technology, but there are limitations to this external big-screen mode this isn't quite a full-blown Windows 10 PC in your pocket. You can only have a single app onscreen at a time, although the ability to use another app on the phone's screen at the same time is a usable workaround for this. The only apps that you can use on an external screen are what Microsoft calls Universal apps' apps that have been designed to run on full-fat Windows 10 computer, Xbox One as well as Windows 10 Mobile. Such apps are, for the moment, thin on the ground. There's no guarantee that the selection and quality of apps for Windows 10 Mobile, Universal or not, will improve, although we hope it will.

There are performance and responsive limitations worth bearing in mind too. There was sometimes a small but noticeable lag when typing or mousing around using Bluetooth input devices that only fully disappeared when we switched to a USB keyboard and mouse instead. Having lots of complex websites and web apps open in lots of tabs in the Edge browser was enough to cause the entire system to start chugging, although this problem wasn't quite as bad as it is on Atom-powered Windows mini PCs, super cheap laptops and compute sticks.

We also encountered various bugs in using an Apple USB-C video-out adapter with the Lumia 950. USB sticks connected to the 950 via the adapter's USB port weren't recognised as they should've been. Even more aggravatingly, the image on our 1080p monitor appeared stretched and distorted as if it had been set at a particularly low, non-native resolution. While there's no way of fixing this, the big-monitor experience was still capable enough that we were still able to write this review in Word on the Lumia 950.

Update 20/01/2016 - We've finally gotten our hands on Microsoft's official Display Dock and it works much better then unofficial third party Continuum docks as revealed in our Lumia 950XL review.

It's possible to use a Miracast-compatible wireless display, TV or adapter instead of a wired USB-C adapter, but the resulting lag made even simple computing a frustrating experience.

Casing and screen

Given the distinctive and sturdy curved coloured plastic cases of previous Lumias, the very plain black plastic casing of the Lumia 950 is disappointingly bland and cheap feeling too. It looks a bit like a cheap Nexus 5X knock-off. The Lumia 950 does have a couple of features that its Android lookalike does not there's a micro SD slot underneath its easily replaceable battery.

You'll also be able to replace the removable back panel with a differently coloured one, but you'll have to rely on third-party panels as Microsoft doesn't currently have any plans to make and sell them.

As expected for a phone at this price, the screen looks good. Measuring 5.2in diagonally, it has a high resolution of 2560x1440 pixels so text looks sharp. It's very bright with good colour accuracy and contrast.

Performance and Battery Life

The 950 has a six core Snapdragon 808 processor and 3GB of memory so it performed well in almost all of our benchmarks. The only exception was in 3D graphics where it fell behind other similarly specified phones, although that's not a crippling flaw given the paucity of apps that use detailed 3D graphics on Windows phones. We only saw minor lag in the responsiveness of the touchscreen and the user interface certainly nothing approaching the serious judderiness reported by some early adopters.

Battery life wasn't exemplary, merely satisfactory. It lasted just over ten hours when playing H264 video on a loop. When connected to the EE network and used in and around central London for calls, photography, GPS and web browsing, the battery lasted just under 24 hours.

Camera

Microsoft's camera app tries to appeal to both amateur and experienced photographers, but with mixed results. For the latter, there's control over the white balance, ISO, shutter speed and bracketing. For more easily flummoxed snappers, the camera app has the optional Rich Capture mode which uses a combination of HDR, bracketing and post processing in an attempt to get the best possible shot no matter the shooting conditions.

In practice, Rich Capture often oversharpened photos, especially those taken in low light, leading to hideous looking artefacts. Colours were either oversaturated or skewed with a heavy yellow or green cast. Turning off Rich Capture lead to far better looking, more accurately judged photos but on our review unit Rich Capture had an annoying habit of turning itself back on. Constantly turning it back off, and dealing with the shooting lag it introduced when trying to capture action shots, made photography on the 950 feel more like a struggle and a chore than the pleasure it should be.

Conclusions

The Microsoft Lumia 950 isn't a bad phone, just a very average one. Both the software and hardware have lost much of the aesthetic distinctiveness that helped set Microsoft' previous mobile efforts apart from the competition. Other aspects such as battery life and performance are nothing to shout about, while others, such as the camera, are spoiled by iffy software design. The lack of apps remains the biggest problem for Windows 10 Mobile however, especially as its most remarkable feature is dependent on them.

The 950's most distinctive and eye-catching feature by far is Continuum. Based purely on demos of this feature alone, we'd expect a lot of consumers and businesses alike to snap up the 950. While undeniably impressive, various limitations in its current form make it a tantalising hint of the future rather than a practical tool for today. It could be useful for hot desking workers in some offices, but the amount of extra kit required to enable this feature plus its current feature limitations means it's more likely to replace overpriced, overcomplicated thin clients rather than laptops in most workplaces.

Unless Continuum in its current form sets your world alight, there are very few compelling reasons to choose the Lumia 950 and Windows 10 Mobile over the alternatives. Microsoft's latest mobile OS reboot may get better in future, but Redmond has to roll out improvements quickly as it's running out of time as the mobile preferences of consumers and business alike become increasingly entrenched in far more developed and polished mobile ecosystems.

If you're enamoured enough with Windows 10 Mobile to get out your wallet, then the decision comes down to whether you should buy the 950 or its bigger brother the 950XL. The latter is almost exactly identical to the 950, but is heavier and wider. The 950 has a 5.2in screen and weighs 150g versus the 950XL which has a more unwieldy 5.7in screen and weighs 165g. If you can live with its increased dimensions, the 950XL had an extra three hours of battery life in our tests. If you have small hands, go for the 950. Otherwise the extra battery life makes the 950XL.

This review was originally published on 14/12/2015 and has since been updated, most recently on 16/02/2016.

Verdict

A good-enough smartphone, but there are better smartphones available unless Continuum is utterly compelling and revolutionary for your business

PROCESSOR Hexa-core 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808

SCREEN SIZE 5.2in

SCREEN RESOLUTION 2,560x1,440

REAR CAMERA 20 megapixels

STORAGE 32GB (29GB)

WIRELESS DATA 3G, 4G

SIZE 145x73x8.2mm

WEIGHT 150g

OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10

WARRANTY One year RTB

DETAILS www.microsoft.com

PART CODE RM-1104

Microsoft's latest smartphone, the Lumia 650, will start at 150, embracing enterprises and consumers in search of a low-cost device.

Lumia 650 is among a handful of Lumia handsets running Windows 10, and includes a number of enterprise-focused features such as Microsoft Office and the new productivity features of virtual assistant, Cortana.

"We're extremely proud of the Lumia 650 and believe it will quickly be seen as the device that provides the perfect balance between work and personal needs," said Microsoft's Samuli Hnninen in an announcement on the Windows blog.

Microsoft has managed to capture only a slim portion of the fiercely competitive smartphone market with its Windows Phone handsets. It's had a tough time completing with Apple and Samsung, the latter of which is due unveil its Samsung Galaxy S7 next week. This new budget phone will compete with the lower-end iOS and Android handsets.

A sleek metal housing frames the Lumia 650's 5in HD OLED display. It's 6.9mm thick and weighing just 122g.

Continuing Microsoft's track record of impressive built-in cameras, the Lumia 650 features an eight megapixel rear-facing camera and a five megapixel wide-angle, front-facing camera, both of which use Microsoft's flagship imaging algorithms, to provide sharp photo and video capabilities.

The phone also features a selection of software that Microsoft said will make it a solid chance for both Windows fans and business users everywhere.

This includes the latest Microsoft Office apps, allowing users to create and edit documents on-the-go and sync them to the cloud via OneDrive, built-in Skype integration and enterprise security.

Furthermore, the Lumia 650 will provide enterprise users with built-in support for Microsoft business applications, such as Uber. Microsoft also said IT departments will be able to test the latest Windows 10 Mobile updates against critical business systems and apps, before distributing them to staff via MDM.

Hnninen added: "We designed the Lumia 650 to bring first class to business class; giving our customers the best of Microsoft productivity and security, all wrapped in a beautiful slim package. By providing a consistent experience across PC and phone through the power of Windows 10, we think professionals and Windows fans alike will love using it every day.

"It's secure by design and keeps company and personal data safer with features like device encryption and device wipe. These features allow businesses peace of mind, knowing important information in emails and files are protected from threats and empowers employees to use one device for work and play."

The Lumia 650 comes in matte black and matte white, and will be available starting from 18 February, 2016, in select European countries, with a recommended retail price of 150 to 160.

Microsoft introduced its first Lumia devices running Windows 10 Lumia 550, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL last November.

Microsoft's latest headset announcement comes ahead of the mobile industries annual trade show, Mobile World Congress. This budget approach for its Lumia product line may be a sign that the company is making way for the long-rumoured Surface Phone.

Windows Phone will never capture a big portion of the smartphone market despite Microsoft's best efforts, according to research house IDC.

Redmond's mobile devices have garnered the company just 2.2 per cent market share this year, the analyst group claimed, and that stake will shrink by 10 per cent by the end of the year.

Windows 10 will not help Microsoft's plight either said IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report looking at the full calendar year, released last week.

"Despite all the effort Microsoft has put into the launch of Windows 10, IDC does not expect Microsoft's share of the smartphone OS market to grow much over the coming years," it read.

Further declines will come in 2016, and by 2019, Windows Phone's share of the market will have grown just 0.1 per cent over four years to 2.3 per cent, the analyst house predicted.

It blamed Microsoft's mobile woes on a lack of OEM partner support, with not enough manufacturers wanting to run Windows Phone on their devices, as well as the failure of Redmond's strategy to target the low-end of the market.

Windows Phones' average selling price is pegged at $148 for 2015, $48 cheaper than Android, as a result of Microsoft's decision to buy Nokia to target budget mobiles.

After initial success driving shipments to 35 million units in 2014, sales will fall dramatically over the next couple of years, despite predicted shipments of 43.6 million by 2019.

Windows Phone's problems stand in stark contrast to Android, which has an 81 per cent share of the market in 2015, up to 82.6 per cent in 2019 under IDC's report.

Smartphones sporting Google's operating system shipped 1.16 billion units in 2015, with IDC predicting a rise to 1.5 billion units in 2019.

IDC wrote: "The proliferation of the core Android platform will continue with huge efforts being put forth by companies like Cyanogen and Xiaomi to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

"Given its global footprint and application/services ecosystem, IDC fully expects some form of Android to hold a dominant share of the smartphone OS space for the foreseeable future.

Apple's iOS held a 15.8 per cent share of the market in 2015, shipping 226 million units, a year-on-year growth of 17 per cent largely thanks to sales of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

However, the platform will lose ground by 2019, dropping 1.7 per cent to hold a 14.1 per cent stake.

The report read: "The possible challenge in two to three years' time could quite possibly be excess inventory in the developing markets that refurbished iPhones are sold into."

Overall, the smartphone market fell into single-digit growth for the first time in 2015, down to 9.8 per cent growth from 27.5 per cent growth in 2014.

Reasons for the decline include one of the main markets, China, reaching saturation point and turning into a replacement market, where consumers only buy a smartphone when their current one breaks or comes to the end of its contract.

Ryan Reith, programme director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said: "The main driver has been and will continue to be the success of low-cost smartphones in emerging markets. This, in turn, will depend on capturing value-oriented first-time smartphone buyers as well as replacement buyers.

"Replacement cycles will be less than the typical two-year rate, mainly because the components that comprise a sub-$100 smartphone simply do not have the ability to survive two years.

"Offering products that appeal to both types of buyers at a suitable price point will be crucial to maintaining growth and vendor success."

IDC's Mobile Phones research manager, Anthony Scarsella, said vendors will push device financing and trade-in options in developed markets in order to fuel growth.

Microsoft has launched two new flagship Windows 10phones, the Lumia 950 and 950 XL.

Unveiled at an event on 6 October, the devices boast high-quality cameras, a Windows 10-based operating system and USB Type C connectors.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL:At-A-Glance

• Available starting in November
• 5.2in and 5.7in variants
• 500 DPI screens
• Retail price of $549 and $649

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Latest news

06/10/2015:Microsoft has officially unveiled its first Windows 10 phones: the Lumia 950 and 950 XL.

Announced alongside a couple of new Surface products, Microsoft placed a great deal of emphasis on the compatability between the new phones and the rest of its hardware portfolio, predominantly through the Continuum feature.

The numerous leaks detailing the appearance and specs of the new devices proved almost entirely accurate - a fact that was entertainingly highlighted by Microsoft's devices chief, Panos Panay, when he announced them.

05/10/2015: Invitations have gone out forMicrosoft's Lumia 950 and 950 XL launch event, which will begin tomorrow at 10AM Eastern Time, or 3PM if you're livestreaming it from the UK.

As well as two new Lumia flagships, Microsoft is expected to unveil its Windows 10 Phone operating system and the Surface Pro 4, latest in its popular hybrid range.

The company has also sent out emails about the event from addresses linked to its HoloLens augmented reality device, implying that the AR headset will also be receiving some attention.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Name

As was widely predicted, Microsoft's two new devices were indeed dubbed the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL. This continues a naming tradtion that has persisted from when Nokia was still designing and manufacturing the Lumia brand.

This may prove a disappointment to those who were waiting for a Surface Phone. Many people (IT Pro included) were anticipating a companion to Microsoft's Surface Pro 3, along with a transition to more cohesive branding for the Windows Phone range overall. The lack of Surface branding is particularly perplexing given the new additions to the Surface family announced at the event.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Release date

Although the Lumia 950 and 950 XL were launchedat a special event on 6 October,the precise release date for Microsoft's Windows 10 Mobile flagships is still unknown. The closest the company got to a firm date was saying that the handsets will arrive at some point in November.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Price

The prices for Microsoft's forthcoming devices have finally been announced. the Lumia 950 will retail for $549, and the 950 XL going for $649.

This is substantially cheaper than was suggested by leaks from online store ecomputer, which listed the Lumia 950 and 950 XL on its site with price tags of 659 (482) and 749 (548), respectively.

UK pricing has yet to be announced, but based on current convertion rates and previous experience, we'd estimate a UK price of around 400 for the Lumia 950 and 500 for the Lumia 950 XL.

This pricing takes the Windows Phone lineup out of the mid-range and budget territories it's been comfortably occupying for the past few years. While a more premium cost makes sense for Microsoft's first Windows 10 phones, many fans will likely be a little dismayed at the price hike.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Appearance and features

Hopes that Microsoft would adopt design sensibilities more in-keeping with the rest of the market were dashed by early leaks of promotional shots. The images showed that the plastic-shelled construction is alive and well, with both phones looking much the same as earlier multi-coloured Lumias.

However, the handsets shown in the official unveiling were sedate and professional, with only black and white variants on show. Whether or not the more exuberant colours materialise is yet to be seen.

As expected, both the Lumia 950 and the 950 XL both run Windows 10 Mobile straight out of the box. It's essentially a slightly scaled down version of the desktop version, with Cortana, a beta version of the Windows Hello biometric authentication and other desktop elements all included.

One impressive feature that Microsoft showed off was that both phones supportContinuumon Windows 10. By connecting to a small adapter called the Microsoft Display Dock, the 950 and 950 XL will be able to work with a monitor, mouse and keyboard, essentially turning them into mini-PCs.

There was a substantial amount of time devoted to demonstrating this, showcasing how well the Office universal apps scaled to accomodate a larger screen size, and using keyboard shortcuts and other traditional desktop functions. The system can also operate as a phone and a desktop simultaneously, letting users respond to texts on their phone while continuing to work uninterrupted on their desktop environment.

In order to highlight the enhanced productivity features of Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft will be bundling all their major first-party apps with the new devices, including Office apps, Skype, OneNote, OneDrive and Edge.

Another feature touted was the twin antennas in the new phones, which provide the best signal, no matter how you're holding it. This was specifically promoted, despite a near-identical feature appearing in the Huawei P8 earlier this year.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Specs

As was confirmed by Panay himself, the leaks that found there way online prior to the new Lumias' launch were almost entirely accurate. However, aside from what we already suspected, Microsoft was a little light on concrete hardware details.

The Lumia 950 is the smaller of the two phones, with a 5.2in screen, while the 950 XL's display is 5.7in - larger than the iPhone 6 Plus. Both screens have QHD OLED panels, clocked at 564DPI for the 950 and 518 DPI for the 950 XL.

We know that both phones feature 32GB of onboard storage, with a maximum of 2TB expandable memory via MicroSD. It's worth pointing out, though, that that's a theoretical maximum of the SDXC standard - no 2TB MicroSD cards actually exist.

As predicted, the950 XL is somewhat more powerful than its stablemate, with a Snapdragon 64-bit octacore processor. The 950, on the other hand, has a smaller hexacore processor, but both have 'tablet-class' liquid cooling borrowed from the Surface Pro 3 to prevent overheating.

Also leaked in the run-up to the launch were the figures of 3GB of RAM for each device, and battery sizes of 3,000mAh for the Lumia 950, and 3,300mAh for the 950XL. Given the accuracy of the rest of the leaks, we're expecting this to be similarly correct.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Camera

Microsoft, like seemingly every other smartphone manufacturer on the face of the earth, is really pushing its improved camera technology. Calling back to the Lumia 1020's fantastic snapper, the new devices are both fitted with 20MP PureView sensors. Microsoft is claiming that they both offer fantastic low-light photography, with in-built optical image stabilisation and a triple RGB flash for more natural-looking shots.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL: Enterprise

Microsoft is reportedly planning a big enterprise push to coincide with the launch of its newest flagships. As well as shelling out for flashy, premium packaging, Microsoft will also be producing branded device travel bags, according to leaks.

Long-time Windows commentator Paul Thurrott published photos of a rather snazzy-looking satchel bag, which has inbuilt compartments for a surface tablet, Lumia phones and Windows 10 laptop. The bag features blue inner lining, and a silver Microsoft logo emblazoned on the outside.

The photos (which have not yet been verified as genuine) are only mock-ups of a proposed campaign to promote Microsoft devices for business. Nevertheless, the accessory looks attractive and professional, and could be a good step in furthering business adoption of Microsoft devices.

Microsoft is set to release a swathe of Windows 10 devices at IFA on Friday 4 September - the first since the operating system launched this summer.

In the official invitation to the keynote, titled "Windows 10 Lights up New Devices", Microsoft said that corporate VP of the OEM division, Nick Parker, "will demonstrate a breadth of new Windows 10 devices, including tablets, 2-in-1s, premium notebooks, gaming devices and all-in-ones that will light up the Windows 10 experience for customers".

What can we expect to see? Microsoft has revealed no more than what's in the invitation, and there have been no solid leaks. However, we can draw some clues from 2014's event.

Last year was a big one for gaming with the launch of the Xbox One. We're unlikely to see another console this year, but a portable device is a possibility, as are gaming laptops and desktops. The "gaming devices" the company is referring to in the invite may be its Hololens VR device, which is wheeled out at most Windows 10 events.

In the tablets category, 2014's event saw only one device - a Windows 8.1 Panasonic Toughpad. Panasonic is yet to announce an update to this product, so it's a distinct possibility the follow-up will make an appearance tomorrow.

As well as the Toughpad, a number of 2-in-1s were launched last year from manufacturers including Lenovo, which has already debuted two Windows 10-powered ThinkPads at IFA 2015, and Acer, which has launched an updated Aspire R3 with Windows 10 this week too.

HP put up a strong show in 2014, with new Envy and Pavilion devices on show. However, with the company splitting in two in November, it will be interesting to see what devices - if any - make it into this year's lineup.

New Lumia phones?

Despite earlier rumours of two new Lumia smartphones, codenamed Talkman and Cityman, Microsoft is apparently not going to reveal these until later in the year. There are two possible reasons put forward for this: firstly, that the company doesn't want two new flagship phones to be overshadowed by the range of other products, and secondly, that Windows Phone 10 won't be on general release until much later this year, if not 2016.

Microsoft has just announced another huge round of 7,800 lay-offs centred on its smartphone arm, along with a 4.9 billion writedown of its 2014 Nokia acquisition.

Following the acquisition, Microsoft's smartphone arm has gone from bad to worse, with poor sales and low market penetration compared to rivals Apple and Google.

Many have been interpreting the recent announcements as the death-knell for Windows Mobile, with Wired dubbing them "a letter of surrender".

It might not all be doom and gloom, however - in fact, this could prove to be the turning point that sees Microsoft become a genuine player in the mobile space.

Let's address this now, and get it out of the way: in addition to the 18,000 cuts announced last year, which mostly affect staff acquired from Nokia, the recent lay-offs mean a staggering 25,800 Microsoft employees will soon be out of a job.

That's a terrible tragedy for the people involved, and should not be dismissed lightly. Even if Microsoft makes good on its promise of "job transition help", there will doubtless be thousands of people now unemployed.

Having said that, this is an incredibly smart decision from a business perspective. The fact that that many employees exist within Microsoft's mobile hardware arm suggests the division is somewhat overweight - Apple, by comparison, had 98,000 employees intotal in 2014.

Microsoft Lumia

Redmond's smartphone hardware doesn't fare much better - the tech firm has a problem with its phones, and it's not the Windows Phone OS. Admittedly, the app selection is underwhelming compared to competitors, but it's getting better, and the rest of the OS is actually pretty good.

No, the principal problem for Windows Phone is the sheer size of its product line. The Microsoft Store currently has 17 different Lumia models available for sale, spanning an array of sizes and specification.

It's far too much, as Microsoft is no doubt painfully aware by this point. It's a case of throwing as many products as possible at the wall, and hoping something will stick a poor tactic, and one that's usually only reserved for the bottom-tier budget manufacturers.

Instead, Microsoft should be looking to the major players in the mobile world for inspiration. Apple is, obviously, the key example here, but the trend can be seen across companies like Samsung and LG as well.

The most successful mobile companies, rather than peppering the market with near-identical looking products, streamline their portfolios by producing a couple of high-quality flagship lines.

For instance, Samsung's Galaxy line may have a sister line of phones inthe Note range, but the two are clearly separated, and it's evident which has received the most attention.

In contrast, Microsoft has Lumia models that could fit into both the flagship and the budget camps, and the devices are differentiated by little more than specs.

A leaner, meaner mobile mindset

Thankfully, it appears that Microsoft has finally seen the error of its ways. In his email to employees announcing the job cuts, CEO Satya Nadella said that the company plan to run "a more effective and focused phone portfolio", the start of which is to drastically reduce the mobile division's size and scope.

Limiting their efforts to three customer segments, the company plans to "bring business customers the best management, security and productivity experiences they need; value phone buyers the communications services they want; and Windows fans the flagship devices they'll love".

By the sound of it, what this means is that Microsoft will produce fewer Lumia models, but the ones they do produce will be much more closely targeted. Hopefully, the Lumia brand identity will also be whipped into shape Nadella's promise of "flagship devices" raises the prospect of a Surface Phone.

If Microsoft did choose to adopt the design of the Surface range which are fantastically premium-looking devices it could clearly delineate its flagship smartphones from its budget range, and greatly streamline its portfolio in the process.

Photo: Microsoft

This could be on the cards, as leaked images of the forthcoming Lumia 940, posted by TechTimes,suggest an all-metal body for the first time. If these images prove accurate, it will be a significant step up in build quality for Microsoft's phones, and one that may put them on a par with Android and iOS flagships.

Windows 10 for Phones

Another key weapon in Microsoft's arsenal is Windows 10, and this is the main reason why we haven't seen the last of Windows Phone.

Microsoft has put vast amounts of effort into building its cross-platform capabilities, the lynchpin of which is Windows 10. Designed to be a completely cross-platform OS, Microsoft wants you to use Windows 10 on your PC, tablet, and, crucially, phone.

Windows 10 has a bunch of features built-in that integrate mobile and desktop like never before, much the same as Google and Apple have been doing. The idea is that pretty much anything you can do on your PC, you can do on your phone, and vice versa.

Thanks to Nadella's mantra of mobile first, cloud first', all your files, data and contacts will be available across all platforms, and this integration looks set to be a big part of the Windows 10 experience.

While Microsoft has announced that Android and iOS will be supported for some of these features, users won't quite get the full package unless they're on Windows Phone.

As such, it makes no sense for the company to abandon a platform that's going to be such a key part of its strategy going forward.

The future

These new job cuts, then, signal the start of a transformation that will see Microsoft stop releasing four or five smartphones per year, and instead focus on two or three clearly-defined product lines.

The Windows Mobile OS is set to improve exponentially with the advent of Windows 10, and if Microsoft can couple that with a cohesive, focused hardware strategy that concentrates on a few key products, they could become a serious contender and turn the mobile market back into a genuine three-horse race.

Microsoft has announced a fresh round of job cuts, axing nearly 8,000 staff, mostly from its smartphone division.

After hints that the lay-offs were on the way, the tech giant yesterday confirmed it will lay off 7,800 positions in orderto "better focus and align resources".

The losses will primarily be borne by Microsoft's ailing phone hardware arm, purchased from Nokia last year.

In addition to the job cuts, the company will also record an impairment charge of $7.6 billion (4.9 billion) and restructuring charges of between $750 million (488 million) and $850 million (552 million) related to the department.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella outlined the changes in an email to staff.

"We are moving from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem including our first-party device family," Nadella said.

"In the near-term, we'll run a more effective and focused phone portfoliowhile retaining capability for long-term reinvention in mobility."

The news comes ahead of thepublic launch of Windows 10on 29 July, marking the company's first major operating system since Windows 8 in 2012.

Windows 10 is set to integrate heavily with Windows 10 for phones, making it unlikely that the company will completely axe its smartphone division.

News of the the cuts follows last year's announcement of18,000 redundancies, alsopredominantly among its newly-acquired Nokia workforce.

With the launch of Windows 10 just around the corner, Microsoft is repeating its "cloud first, mobile first" mantra, and this includes beefing up its smartphone lineup. The Lumia 640 and 640 XL marks the company's latest attempt to secure the lucrative enterprise smartphone sector.

Lumia 640 XL:design

The Lumia range has traditionally stuck to a similar design, but for this device it's not necessarily a good thing though.Much like the HP Stream 11, Microsoft phones tend to suffer from a bit of an image problem, as the rounded, brightly-coloured plastic shells mean they look more like consumer devices - or dare we say it, a child's first smartphone - than a handset worthy of a CEO's pocket.

Thankfully, the build quality has been stepped up several notches for the 640 XL. The plastic backing is now finished with a matte coating, and it's also available in black or white for those that don't quite fancy garish orange.

The 640 XL also feels a lot less flimsy than previous iterations. Despite the plastic, the device has a premium feel, and looks a lot sleeker than we're used to seeing from the Lumia range.

The more upmarket construction means an increase in weight and profile, however. The device is 9mm thick, with a fair amount of heft to it around 170g. That said, with the recent trend for wafer-thin handsets, it's nice to see something that doesn't feel like it's going to break the first time you drop it.

Its dimensions mean the Lumia 640 XL is at the very limit of pocketable size. The 5.7in screen is a behemoth, and borders on unusable in a few ways.Typing one handed is almost impossible, and is going to be an exercise in painful, thumb-stretching frustration for all but the most truckasuarus-handed giants. It even feels faintly ridiculous to make calls on.

It's a problem given most app developers' habit of putting home or options buttons in the top corners of the screen. Much like the iPhone 6 or the Huawei P8, the 640 XL could benefit from some reachability features.

Lumia 640 XL: display

Rather than following the route of most of its rivals and aiming for expensive, top-quality screens, Microsoft has instead restrained itself to a 720p resolution. While hardware purists may turn their noses up at the comparatively lackluster screen specs, it's actually a bit of a cracker.

The ClearBlack IPS display has a decent contrast of 1066:1, with deep, rich blacks. The viewing angles are nice and wide too, and it looks great when displaying photos or viewing video.

With a pixel density of 259ppi, it's not the top of the heap on paper, but Microsoft's minimalist OS masks that very nicely, and the visuals are generally crisp and clear, with Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 ensuring it should resist damage if dropped.

The display requiers some user tweaking in order to reach its full potential. By default, the three brightness settings are low, mid and high, but even the high setting is only set to around half the device's maximum.

Tinker with the brightness profiles for a better experience. Crank the high profile setting up to maximum, and the 640 XL really shines, up to a brightness of 550cd/m2. You can also change the colour profile, which will modify the appearance of images to be more vibrant, cooler or colour-accurate, according to your tastes.

Lumia 640 XL:software

Windows Phone is something of a Marmite OS you either love it or you hate it. The 640 XL is a perfect example of why: the best aspects of Windows Phone shine here, with Office, OneDrive, OneNote and other Microsoft apps working well together as part of a cohesive package.

The People app works well to pull contacts' information from all your communication apps to create a central hub of everyone you know, saving bundles of time compared to swapping between various different communication tools.

However, all of the things that discourage consumers from adopting Microsoft's mobile platform are also present in full force. The home screen lacks functionality compared to Android's widget-rich system, and the Windows Store still lags miles behind the competition.

The essential apps are all present and correct: Facebook, Twitter and so on are there, and those that aren't usually have third-party clients to fill the gap. Less popular apps may be left out in the cold, however, and there's noticably less choice.

Microsoft has jumped on the Siri bandwagon with its own digital assistant: Cortana, better-known as a lead character in Xbox's Halo franchise. As with most of her competition, she'll perform internet searches for you, give you news and weather updates, and help you with directions, among other tasks.

You can access Cortana by holding down the search button on the navigation bar, but we found that we didn't really bother most of the time. The basics web queries, nearby restaurants, note-taking, and so on were all handled capably, but more complicated operations can leave Cortana stumped, and she doesn't quite have Siri or Google Now's range of functions.

Document editing is arguably the lynchpin of any good business smartphone, and it's a breeze on the new Lumia.It's here that the larger screen really comes into its own, and the extra screen space means typing and editing can be fast and accurate - providing you're doing it with both hands.

Microsoft is really pushing for the adoption of Widows Phone as an enterprise platform, and has made a concerted effort to pack a bunch of business and productivity features into the 640 XL.In addition to pre-existing apps such as Lumia Beamer for sharing your device's visual content with larger screens, Microsoft is also bundling a year's subscription to Office 365 and 30GB of OneDrive cloud storage with every purchase of the Lumia 640 XL.

Lumia 640 XL:hardware

The 640 XL is a little lacking in the specs department, but it's not as much of a problem as you might think. The CPU is a quad-core Snapdragon 400, the same processor used by budget rival the Motorola Moto G. It's also got a fairly scant 1GB of RAM.

However, thanks to Microsoft's skill at device optimisation, these seemingly underpowered internals do a serviceable job. It's not blazingly fast, but it's plenty for web browsing, flicking through your favourite social networking apps, and even hammering out Office documents.

It's nippy in terms of firing them up too, with rarely more than a couple of seconds load time. Navigating menus and settings is also slick and responsive.

Where the 640 LX does fall down is 3D gaming. The Adreno 305 GPU doesn't cope as well as it could with intensive graphics, and trying to play something as demanding as Asphalt 8 results in a sub-par framerate and hints of lag.

The vast majority of games shouldn't be any kind of problem, and standard commuter fare such as Candy Crush Saga or Angry Birds will work just fine.

Lumia 640 XL: features

Microsoft has included an option to expand the 640 XL's storage up to 128GB via MicroSD, and it's a good thing too, as the phone only comes with a measly 8GB of onboard storage.

We'd imagine that this is partly to keep the cost down and partly to encourage greater use of its OneDrive cloud storage platform. Whatever the reason, it's an annoying limitation for those who don't habitually use cloud storage services.

Microsoft has paid attention to enterprise users' demand for increased mobile security, and the Lumia 640 XL is equipped with a range of features to safeguard the device's integrity. These consist of both enterprise-grade and consumer-level features, including data encryption, mobile VPN anonymising and remote backup, lock and wipe.

It comes in both single and dual-SIM variants as well, handy for those travelling between offices in different regions, with a further choice between 3G and 4G capability.

Lumia 640 XL: camera

On the whole, the Lumia range has a good track record with cameras. The 640 XL lives up to this tradition, sporting a good snapper for a budget phone. Pictures are crisp and detailed, and colours aren't as muted as other cameras we've seen at this price point.

It has a problem with dynamic range, as images with a high level of contrast between light and dark don't show up that well, and white balance can be off in places.

The front-facing selfie camera isn't as good as the rear lens. Video-calling sessions shouldn't be too fuzzy, but it doesn't take the best quality snaps, and finer details are likely to be lost.

Overall though, it's better than many cheap smartphone cameras, and will do good justice to the average amateur photographer's pictures. Just make sure you're not expecting professional-grade results.

Lumia 640 XL: battery

The Lumia 640 Xl is packing a 3000mAh battery, which provides a respectable amount of juice. We found it lasted around a day and a half, especially if you don't over-tax the battery.

In our HD video playback test, the 640 Xl lost its charge at a rate of around nine per cent per hour. That's not quite as efficient as some we've seen, but it's not altogether bad. Despite the lower resolution, the 640 Xl is still pushing a hefty amount of pixels round the screen, and it did well considering.

It also includes a standard battery-saving mode, which will cut off a few functions in order to squeeze some more juice out of the device. With this up its sleeve as well, you can rest assured that you won't constantly be hunting for a plug socket.

Lumia 640 XL: price

Microsoft has been eminently sensible with its pricing, and is selling the Lumia 640 XL for the reasonable sum of 219. This puts it squarely in the budget category, a price band that has been largely bereft of quality, business-oriented devices thus far.

It's a bit of a steal, frankly, especially if you include the added extras such as the Office 365 membership and OneDrive allowance. You can pick up older Android flagships such as the Nexus 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4 for around the same price, but while they might technically be a bit better, the Lumia 640 has some real benefits for business users.

Lumia 640 XL: connectivity

As a business device, we'd hoped that the 640 XL would have more in the way of advanced connectivity. Sadly, it's only outfitted with a basic array, including the usual suspects of Bluetooth 4.0, single-band .11 b/g/n WiFi and 4G.

We would have liked to see dual-band WiFi and NFC in particular, but considering the budget price-point, we're prepared to let it slide.

Lumia 640 XL: verdict

The Lumia 640 is a fantastic business smartphone at a knockdown price. The screen won't blow anyone away, and high-powered gaming might be a bit of a struggle, but otherwise, it'll sail through both professional and personal use with ease.

It could get even better, too. Microsoft is touting features to make the 'Windows 10 experience' flow seamlessly across all your devices, and if it can deliver, then Windows phones such as the Lumia 640 XL might become genuine contenders.

We would recommend getting the near-identical - but much more sensibly proportioned - Lumia 640, which can be had for 100 cheaper. If you're dead-set on having a comically-oversized screen, however, the 640 XL is everything you need. Microsoft has polished the essentials up to rather impressive standard, and at a remarkably low price.

Verdict

For business users, the Lumia 640 XL is a fantastic smartphone. It has outstanding integration with the Office app family, a brace of features geared towards enterprise use, will be part of the eventual Windows Phone 10 rollout, and to top it all off, it's set at a pleasingly inexpensive price.

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-care 1.2Ghz CPU

Display: 5.7in 720p ClearBlack IPS display

Memory: 1GB

Storage: 8GB expandable

Battery: 3000mAh

Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n, 4G, Bluetooth 4.0

Dimensions: 158 x 81.5 x 9 mm

Weight: 171g

The Windows 10 Technical Preview is coming to a much wider range of Windows Phone users.

Developments in the coding process mean that the forthcoming build of the Windows Phone 10 Technical Preview will be available for 36 phones almost six times as many as the initial release, according to information disclosed inan official Windows blog.

Previously, users downloading the preview had to have handsets with a partition size large enough to support the upgrade. Now, however, partition stiching' will allow Microsoft to "re-size the system partition dynamically", fitting the update into a much wider range of devices.The full list of supported phones is below:

Lumia 1020

Lumia 1320

Lumia 1520

Lumia 520

Lumia 525

Lumia 526

Lumia 530

Lumia 530 Dual Sim

Lumia 535

Lumia 620

Lumia 625

Lumia 630

Lumia 630 Dual Sim

Lumia 635

Lumia 636

Lumia 638

Lumia 720

Lumia 730

Lumia 730 Dual SIM

Lumia 735

Lumia 810

Lumia 820

Lumia 822

Lumia 830

Lumia 920

Lumia 925

Lumia 928

Lumia ICON

Microsoft Lumia 430

Microsoft Lumia 435

Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM

Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV

Microsoft Lumia 532

Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM

Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM

Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM

Microsoft has been keen to point out that this is far from a definitive list, and that phones may be added or dropped depending on bugs, compatibility and other numerous quirks of unfinished software.

It's also been tight-lipped on a release date for the next Windows 10 build. However, according to the company, the developers need "at least one more week of engineering". If we had to guess, this would lead us to expect that Windows Insiders will be seeing the newest Technical Preview in a fortnight at the latest.

There aren't many options for businesses that need hardware to withstand tough outdoor conditions, which is why Panasonic's Tough range has proved so successful. Its latest product, the FZ-E1, is one of its most durable devices yet despite it being a tiny tablet.

The 5in screen means the FZ-E1 can't offer as much real estate as mainstream rivals, but Panasonic says it's the toughest tablet ever made. That's bound to attract attention.

Tough by name Tough by nature?

The exterior means business. The screen is surrounded by a thick grey border, a litany of sensors and a trio of heavy-duty buttons, and the edges are made from thick, matte plastic. The ports and sockets are hidden behind flaps that protect the various connectors from water and dust.

The top and bottom ends have hooks for attaching carry straps, and the rear houses the hot-swappable battery and removable camera unit.

The hard-wearing design and MIL-STD-810G testing means the ToughPad functions in demanding scenarios. It can work after being dunked in five feet of water for thirty minutes, or after falls of up to ten feet onto concrete. The ToughPad is fully sealed against dust, and it's been tested for shock, vibration, altitude and extreme humidity.

Panasonic has ensured the FZ-E1 can withstand temperatures ranging between -20C and 60C by fitting a tiny heater inside, and the screen's glass can withstand a 400g steel ball dropped from 80cm.

The power connector and microUSB socket are hidden behind a locked flap, and the same side houses a dedicated camera button. The opposite edge has a volume rocker and a customisable button. A docking port for accessories dominates the bottom, and at the top is the power button and a headphone jacket behind another flap.

It's the toughest tablet we've ever seen, but it's not all good news. The FZ-E1 is 32mm thick at its bulkiest point, and it weighs 426g. It's bigger than any other small tablet and that's before any cases or accessories have been added.

Functional Design

The ToughPad doesn't just impress with its degree from the school of hard knocks it's practical. The battery is hot-swappable, and Panasonic claims it'll regain 50 per cent of its capacity after just an hour of charging. Its dual-SIM, 3G and 4G options are available, and it's got dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS as standard.

NFC is inside, and the two front-facing speakers can pump out 100 decibels of sound. They're certainly loud, even if quality is lacking the top-end is tinny, the treble is thick and without nuance, and bass is weak. These speakers aren't good enough for media, but their volume and the in-built noise-cancelling features make them fine for listening to voice calls in loud environments.

On the Inside

Processing grunt comes from a 2.3GHz Qualcomm quad-core chip alongside 2GB of memory. It's a good specification that scored 503.7ms in the latest SunSpider benchmark. That's good speed: better than both the Nexus 7 and Nexus 9, and faster than the latest iPad Mini.

It performed reasonably in the Peacekeeper HTML5 browser test. Its result of 531 points beat the latest small iPad, but couldn't match the 568 scored by the Nexus 7.

It's enough power to help the ToughPad blast through the vast majority of applications we didn't hit any problems during our tests. Windows worked without delay, and we can't see any customised apps made using Panasonic's APIs proving problematic either.

The battery is fantastic for starters, its 6,200mAh capacity is more than 2,000mAh larger than the Nexus 7's power pack, and it's only a little smaller than the iPad Mini's battery.

Our standard test plays HD video with the screen at 75 per cent brightness and Wi-Fi off, but Windows Embedded doesn't have precise screen brightness settings. With that caveat and the screen at its Medium brightness level the Panasonic lasted for just over 16 hours in our test. That's almost four hours better than the Nexus and iPad Mini.

At first glance the ToughPad's OS looks like Windows Phone, but it's actually Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld. It's built using Windows Phone 8.1, but has key differences that'll appeal to business: APIs can be used to build bespoke software, it's got beefed-up security credentials and it works with Windows Phone 8.1 software and other office tools like Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Retail, Office 365 and Lync.

The FZ-E1's rear serves up an 8-megapixel camera. It's got auto-focus and an LED flash, it worked rapidly in our tests, and its shots are reasonable easily good enough for taking pictures on the job. It struggled a little with bright lights and reflections, and other tablets provide far sharper detail.

Screen

The screen is protected from knocks, scratches and the elements, and it's got several other attributes that make it ideal for use in the field. It's matte, and the capacitive surface works with gloved fingers. It's even got a rain-sensing feature that prevents precipitation from activating the panel.

The matte, anti-reflective layer means the Panasonic keeps working under strong sunlight, and the brilliant 476cd/m2 brightness level helps. That's not far away from the Nexus 7's 540cd/m2 measurement, and far better than the iPad Mini's 389cd/m2. The black level of 0.45cd/m2 is a tad better than the Nexus, and it means the two devices actually have the same contrast ratio a stonking 1,058:1.

That's impressive, but in other areas the Toughpad doesn't match up to rivals. The 5in screen is smaller than most smartphones, and its resolution of 1,280 x 720 isn't much cop even cheap hardware often provides more pixels.

Viewing angles aren't great, with colours that quickly lose their vibrancy when the panel is seen from an off-centre angle. Those colours aren't as vibrant as those on rivals to begin with the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini are both noticeably punchier.

Those issues mean this screen isn't the best for viewing media, but there's no denying its chops for getting work done in tough conditions. It's got ample brightness, a matte coating, and it's even set up to work in the rain or when you're wearing gloves.

Options and Accessories

Panasonic has worked hard to make the FZ-E1 versatile. A second hot-swappable battery can be purchased, and the ToughPad's online configurator allows the optional Magstripe and barcode readers to be added to the specification.

Hand-straps with styluses, belt holsters and other carrying accessories are available, and charging cradles can be used to charge a group of FZ-E1 tablets or their batteries. It's even possible to buy a powered cradle that can be used inside cars and vans.

Panasonic also produces an Android version of this machine, called the FZ-X1. It's got a similar configuration to this machine, and the same rugged features, but it's also got an older version of Google's OS Android 4.2.2, to be precise. That model costs 1,133.

For all of its rugged features and clever design, the ToughPad FZ-E1 is still uncomfortable on a couple of counts. For starters, it'll have trouble fitting into most pockets and, more seriously, it'll cost you almost 1,200. That makes it several times more expensive than every rival.

Crucially, though, Panasonic's latest justifies its cost in key areas. It's got good power, a phenomenal battery and rugged features that no other tablet can offer. Panasonic has designed the FZ-E1 to appeal to workers in military, medical and other demanding industries, and they'll be able to justify its cost and make use of its features but, for most of us, it's overkill.

Verdict

In certain industries, the cost can be justified, but it's overkill for the ordinary consumer.

Processor: Qualcomm MSM8974AB 2.3GHz quad-core

GPU: Adreno 330

Memory: 2GB RAM

Storage: 32GB on-board, 64GB expandable

Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, optional 4G

Ports: MicroUSB 2.0, headphone jack, docking connector

Dimensions: (WxDxH): 87 x 32 x 164mm

Weight: 426g

Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 640 and 640 XL at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week and the business features on the handsets suggest Microsoft is trying to win more of a toehold in the enterprise.

Launching the phones at MWC, Microsoft highlighted the heightened productivity features, ease of use and extended integration with other platforms and services in its announcement presentation.

Microsoft focused on the one thing only it can offer: perfect cross-device functionality with other Windows tech. The company wants to fill all your device needs, with users swapping documents, media and apps between their Windows 10 PCs, smartphones and tablets, giving you access to documents whether you're working in the office or on the move.

Of course, the Lumia 640 and 640 XL won't run Windows 10 out of the box, as the next-gen operating system won't arrive until later this year. Instead, the handsets will ship with the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, and as with all mobile devices currently running 8.1, they'll be offered a free upgrade to Windows 10.

As an extra bonus, the company will try to tempt business users by bundling a free year's subscription to their Office 365 service with each phone, valued at 59.99. Both phones also come with the full suite of Office apps pre-installed, 1TB of cloud storage through OneDrive, and 60 Skype minutes a month for cheap international calls.

Lumia 640: lacklustre specifications

While the services and software may be impressive, Microsoft's new models feature fairly underwhelming specs under the hood. Sporting a quad-core Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz processor - the same model that was in the first-gen Moto G - and 1GB of RAM, the Lumia 640 isn't going to turn any heads based on its hardware horsepower.

The 640 and 640 XL are also equipped with a 5 and 5.7in screen respectively, with 720p HD resolutions. They're not as pin-sharp as flagship models from the likes of Samsung and LG, but given that Microsoft's targeting the enterprise space, that's eminently forgiveable, and the company's glare-minimising ClearBlack technology is a nice addition.

The lower resolution will also help to bolster the life of the batteries, which weigh in at 2,500mAh for the 640 and 3,000mAh for the 640 XL. Microsoft claimed these will comfortably power the phone for more than a full day, and based on the decidedly untaxing hardware, we're inclined to agree.

They're also sporting 8 and 13MP rear cameras and film video at 1080p. Video-conferencing also shouldn't be a problem, thanks to the 640's 1MP front-facing camera and the 5MP version on the 640 XL.

Such lacklustre specs put the new Lumias on par with mid-tier smartphones from last year. While they'll likely be adequate for most people, they'll suffer in comparison to zippier, more expensive rivals, and power users may well find themselves unimpressed.

One thing that should appeal to business users is that both phones will be available in dual-SIM 3G and LTE variants, a feature which allows users to manage both a company-financed work tariff and a personal mobile plan simultaneously. Single-SIM LTE versions of both phones will also be on offer, as well as a single-SIM 3G model exclusively for the 640 XL.

Lumia 640: secure competition

Upon its launch, the Lumia 640 will be competing directly with the newly announced BlackBerry Leap and Silent Circle Blackphone 2. However, Microsoft lacks the specialised privacy and security background of its competitors.

For many companies, making sure their confidential data is secure as possible will be of the highest priority. However, according to Kaspersky Labs' principal security researcher David Emm, "it's not the only factor it's something they will want to balance against usability and performance".

Lumia 640: price

With the Lumia 640 retailing for 139 at the lower tier and the 640 XL starting at 189, they're some of the cheapest business-focused smartphones on the market. While no UK price has yet been released, current conversion rates indicate that both phones will cost less than 200 when they launch in April, even factoring in the inevitable markup.

For many companies, the mid-range specs at a budget price will be the major selling point for Microsoft's new devices, and will be more than enough to convince them to implement Windows Phone as their EMM deployment of choice for mid-to-high level employees. Whether it reaches the ubiquity of the early-2000's BlackBerry, however, remains to be seen.

Leaked images of a new assistant for Microsoft Office on Windows Phone have shed some light on how Cortana, Microsoft's virtual assistant, may be integrated into the app.

The screenshots come from WindowsblogItalia (via Tech2), and show a "Work Assistant" that acts as a base for all Office documents and accepts voice commands. According to the site, the word that activates the app to voice commands will be Office'.

ZDNet reports Microsoft is currently testing the Office assistant internally, and the project reportedly has Bill Gates closely involved.

Gates mentioned working on a "Personal Agent" project on Reddit recently, saying: "One project I am working on with Microsoft is the Personal Agent which will remember everything and help you go back and find things and help you pick what things to pay attention to.

"The idea that you have to find applications and pick them and they each are trying to tell you what is new is just not [an] efficient model the agent will help solve this. It will work across all you devices."

According to The Verge, Microsoft's ultimate goal is to integrate the virtual assistant into Office on both mobile and desktop platforms, which could become a reality very soon. This includes Android and iOS devices, in keeping with Microsoft's current commitment to making Office more widely available.

Previous reports stated that Windows 10 then known as Windows 9 would ship with Cortana. At the launch event for the operating system, Microsoft confirmed that Cortana would indeed be introduced across all Windows devices.

Microsoft is reportedly set to invest in popular Android ROM creator CyanogenMod as part of a $70 million investment round, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Though Android is a traditionally open OS when compared to something like Apple's iOS, Microsoft is said to be investing in CyanogenMod to get a leg up on what Google already offer customers.

CyanogenMod removes certain restrictions on Android by modifying its code, and Microsoft's involvement may allow it to push the software giant's apps (such as its Bing search engine) forwards on modified iterations of the operating system.

CyanogenMod claims there are 50 million people currently using its version of Android, and a further increase in adoption would serve to weeaken Google's position in the smartphone market.

Microsoft's Windows Phone only holds on to 3 per cent of the market, while Google's Android occupies around 80 per cent in comparison.

In a recent interview, CyanogenMod chief executive Kirt McMaster said: "We're going to take Android away from Google," and the company has already begun making deals with manufacturers.

According to Strategy Analytics (via WSJ), modified versions of the operating system represents 37 per cent of global Android shipments, making Microsoft's move to invest in CyanogenMod appear a smart one that could unseat Google from its position at the top of smartphone sales pile.

Recent figures revealed that Android shipments had broken their own record in 2014, surpassing 1 billion over the course of the year.

Microsoft has applied to patent some new technology that will remove all notifications and adapt settings on your phone according to where you are and what you're doing.

Dubbed Inconspicuous Mode, the setting will detect the user's location based on GPS, NFC, or even the Wi-Fi MAC address and switch off all settings including GPS, Wi-Fi and alarms if they're likely to be asleep or in areas where phones aren't permitted, such as a library, cinema or on a plane.

Additional options include the ability to remove items off the home screen, replace the background image and leave just the clock remaining on the standby screen so you're not distracted by anything else.

It can also sync with your calendar information, so if it knows you're going to a meeting at a certain time, it will switch off everything, dim the screen and mute your device while you're busy.

It's pretty similar to the Do Not Disturb mode on Android devices, although that takes a lot more effort to set up and doesn't de-activate connections depending on the place or events noted in a user's diary.

Inconspicuous Mode could be switched off when people leave a venue, a meeting ends or they manually deactivate it, although this seems to go against the automatic nature of the feature.

Microsoft filed the patent in 2013, but it has only just been approved. Presumably, the tech will only be applied on Windows Phone devices, although if Google or Apple wanted to implement a similar solution, they will no doubt have to pay Microsoft to license it.

It's not clear whether Microsoft will start rolling out the technology to existing Windows Phone devices or if it will make its debut on the next version of Windows Phone - set to be Windows 10 - later this year.

Tablets are doomed to suffer more sluggish growth in 2015 after poor performance last year, according to Gartner.

The analyst house predicts tablet sales will grow eight per cent this year to hit 233 million units, compared to sales of 216 million in 2014.

This comes after two years of double digit growth in 2012 and 2013, and research director Ranjit Atwal blamed it partly on a lack of innovation in hardware.

He said: "The collapse of the tablet market in 2014 was alarming. The steep drop can be explained by several factors.

"One is that the lifetime of tablets is being extended - they are shared out amongst family members and software upgrades, especially for iOS devices - keeping the tablets current.

"Another factor includes the lack of innovation in hardware which refrains consumers from upgrading."

The decline in traditional PC sales is set to continue, according to Gartner, which has pegged sales at 259 million for 2015, down from 279 million in 2014.

Meanwhile, the analyst group believes Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system will grow faster than iOS from this year onwards.

"We expect Windows to grow faster than iOS, as the PC market stabilises and the challenge for the next iPhone to find significant growth becomes greater, narrowing the gap between the two operating systems," said Atwal.

The Android operating system passed one billion shipments in 2014, and will continue double digit growth this year, Gartner claimed.

This growth comes against a backdrop of a smartphone market increasingly polarised by high and low-end market prices, dominated by iOS and Android, respectively.

Microsoft, Guide Dogs and the Future Cities Catapult have developed an innovative headset that can work with Windows Phone to help visually impaired people navigate new spaces.

Specifically designed with complex urban areas in mind, the device uses location data to describe routes to users using information transmitted audibly, says a blog post on the Guide Dogs website. The sound is conducted via the jawbone, and doesn't interfere with natural noise from the wearer's environment.

Amos Miller, director of enterprise strategy for Microsoft Asia, who has suffered some sight loss, said: "We have built a means to help people create a mental map in real time. By painting a picture of the world through sound, similarly to how a lighthouse guides with light, we can remove much of the fear of new journeys and improve those which people are already familiar with."

The device has so far been tested on the route between Reading and London, a journey which involved walking, bus travel, train travel and shopping. Of the participants, 62 per cent said they felt safer, more resilient and more confident.

It is hoped the project will bring other organisations and local authorities in the UK on board for the future, allowing more people access to the resulting device.

Peter Madden, CEO of Future Cities Catapult, said: "The UK can be a world leader in using technology and data to make cities better. This will not only improve quality of life for those of us that live in cities better.

"This collaboration shows just what we can do if we get the right mix of people together, really work to understand people's needs, and then harness the very latest technology to find answers."

The device could help the visually impaired regain independence, as well as get some of the 67 per cent of people living with sight loss who are unemployed back to work.

Jenny Cook, head of strategy and research at Guide Dogs, said: "People living with sight loss face a multitude of challenges every day that can prevent them from getting where they want to be in life.

"Currently, visiting a new city is often daunting, even for people with enough confidence to tackle the challenge independently. For others, who rarely leave home alone, the thought of an unfamiliar journey leaves them stressed and anxious and visiting a new area is an impossible dream."

Microsoft and the Open Space Agency (OSA) have created a 3D-printed observatory dubbed the "Ultrascope".

The prototype is powerful enough to take professional-grade photos of space using just a smartphone.

According to Microsoft, the mini-observatory has "the potential to completely reinvent astrophotography, making it possible to capture professional-grade celestial images, right from your back garden, for a fraction of the price of traditional space telescopes".

The viewing devices can be fabricated using a 3D printer and stand at 1 metre tall when pointed vertically and 65cm wide at the base. They can be controlled via a laptop, which receives ISS orbital location data.

This then forwards the information to the telescope, locating the target, while using the smartphone to take pictures. These images are then sent to the cloud where the data is processed into a form useable by scientists.

The Ultrascope is the idea of OSA founder, James Parr, who said such a project would have been the exclusive preserve of professionals a few years ago.

He also hopes the project will open up "opportunities for people who have been gazing at the stars their whole lives, but haven't, until now, been able to get involved".

"Our hope is that hundreds of Ultrascopes will be assembled, enabling a large number of people to contribute to new discoveries as they explore the night sky."

Dr Juha Alakarhu, head of Imaging Technology at Microsoft, said: "It's great to see that the efforts of James Parr and the OSA with the Ultrascope, and I look forward to seeing the images as they continue to shape this exciting project. It's wonderful to think this could be available to the masses in the near future."

In order to make the Ultrascope, interested people need to sign up and be accepted on to a beta programme. To make the scope, access to a 3D printer and laser cutter is also required.

The OSA hopes to create "increasingly sophisticated models" over the next 12-18 months to help enthusiasts "peer ever deeper into the stars".

New figures from eMarketer have illustrated the rising power of Microsoft's Windows Phone in the UK, with the handsets set to overtake BlackBerry devices in the popularity stakes soon.

The position BlackBerry and Windows Phone are jostling for is for third most popular platform for UK consumers, after Android and Apple, and the decline of BlackBerry looks to be Microsoft's gain.

BlackBerry has been losing its share of the market for some time, hit with the overwhelming popularity of the iPhone and Android devices for business users, which was previously its domain.

Forecasts now predict BlackBerry users will drop by 35.2 per cent by the end of 2014, and 41.7 per cent in 2015, leaving the operating system with just 1.4 million customers compared to 21.3 million for Android and 3.5 million for Windows Phone.

Bill Fisher, UK analyst at eMarketer, said: "The demise of BlackBerry has long been documented but these numbers highlight just how far it has fallen from grace.

"Android and iOS are clearly dominant, but while Microsoft is making significant effort to grow its presence buying Nokia's mobile phone unit and recently partnering with HTC to offer a Windows-based version of the flagship HTC One M8 BlackBerry appear to have been treading water."

BlackBerry recently concluded a company restructure, with an internal memo sent to employees stating that the company would be refocusing on the business market for the future, notably on mobile data security and device management.

US engineers have discovered a way to hack various apps across iOS, Android and Windows devices, successfully infiltrating offerings such as Gmail up to 92 per cent of the time, reports IBN Live.

This is due to a weakness that affects all three major operating systems, with researchers testing seven popular apps to see how easily they could hack into them to obtain sensitive or personal information belonging to the user.

To do this, the researchers got users to download a generic-looking app to their phone, with the app then proceeding to tap into a new public side channel. This has the shared memory that allows data to be shared across process and apps, and can be accessed with privileges.

Zhiyun Qian, assistant professor at University of California's Riverside Bourns College of Engineering, told IBN Live: "The assumption has always been that apps cannot interfere with each other easily. We show that assumption is not correct and one app can in fact significantly impact another and result in harmful consequences for the user."

Apps tested by the researchers include Gmail, CHASE Bank and H&R Block. Amazon was reportedly the most secure app the engineers tested using this method, with only a 48 per cent success rate compared to 92 per cent for others.

"This method will work on other operating systems because they share a key feature researchers exploited in the Android system," Qian added.

iPad and iPhone apps dominate the enterprise market, but Android apps are gaining ground, according to latest figures.

Good Technology's second quarter Mobility Index Report, found that iOS maintained its domination of the mobile enterprise market even though it lost four per cent of its market share to Android. iOS enterprise app activations still accounted for 88 per cent of the market during the second quarter.

The report also found that iOS device activations were around 67 per cent of the total, down five per cent from the previous quarter. Android had 32 per cent of the mobile device activations for the quarter.

Windows Phone devices remained stuck at one per cent and have done so for the last five consecutive quarters. The report did not include Blackberry activations as it does not have access to data from BlackBerry Enterprise Server. However the report's authors said that the results provide a good insight into how organisations are incorporating mobile devices into workflows as data is derived from 5,000 of its customers globally.

The total number of enterprise app activations continued to see significant double-digit growth, increasing 20 per cent quarter over quarter, according to the report.

The gap in activations between tablet apps and smartphone apps appears to be decreasing, coming in at 58 per cent and 42 per cent respectively.

Other findings in the report highlight the high usage of document editing apps, which maintain the top spot for most widely used enterprise app. Secure instant messaging edged out custom apps as the third most activated app category.

Christy Wyatt, Chairman and chief executive of Good Technology said that it's more apparent than ever that enterprise mobility is disrupting legacy desktop environments.

"We continue to see companies deploying a breadth of devices and a diverse set of applications to drive higher value for their business, across all vertical markets," she said.

"Most exciting to us is the rapidly-growing segment of customers creating and deploying their own secure enterprise apps, across platforms, to fuel their business needs."

Microsoft has unveiled the Nokia 130, a low-end phone that doesn't include a data connection and will be sold for 19 Euros (15) in a bid to tempt budget-conscious buyers, according to the BBC.

A separate report by BGR recently suggested that Microsoft was working on abandoning phones on the lower end of the pricing scale altogether, but this move suggests that they may actually intend to fill a gap in the market they say other companies aren't taking advantage of.

Jo Harlow, head of the company's phones business, told the BBC: "This is a massive market segment, and there are not a lot of players in this segment for the reason that scale is really important.

"We have the distribution and supply chain scale to compete effectively in this market. This is a space where smartphones today don't reach, so there [are] still very strong benefits to our business."

The phone will be targeted at those earning less and who are looking for a lower-cost device without all of the bells and whistles, and will be sold alongside other handsets running the Series 30+ operating system.

Microsoft insists that the company still stands to profit from the handset despite the low cost.

The Asha and Nokia X handsets, which Microsoft has confirmed they will be phasing out to make way for the pricier Windows Phone range, are thought to have been eclipsed by Android's own low-end options.

Ben Wood from CCS Insight commented on Microsoft's plans for the Nokia 130, saying: "Microsoft will have done a business case for the new phone, and it knows that it is one of the top players in terms of volume in the feature phone' space.

"The problem with Asha and X phone was that they were cannibalised completely by low-cost Android. Microsoft may only make tiny amounts of money per Nokia 130 device, but you have to look at the volume, which is millions and millions of units."

Windows Phone users who downloaded the recently released Live Lock Screen beta app for their devices have experienced problems, such as screen lag and other bugs.

The app was unveiled during April's BUILD conference and provides users with a choice of six different lock screen designs for Windows Phone 8.1.

This beta app, however, has resulted in various issues despite being touted as a way to improve upon problems and limitations, and performance issues have plagued the initial release, which made its debut on Friday 25 July.

Some users have chosen to uninstall the beta app, but have been left with the same problems even after it is removed from their phone.

These include lock screen lag after the device has been on standby, with the display sticking on the resume' screen for too long before the lock screen reappears.

Reports of the issues have varied, as reported by Neowin, and only occur when the phone has been on standby for more than five minutes or so.

An unlikely solution has been found by WPCentral, with the disabling and re-enabling of Kid's Corner in Settings after Live Lock Screen has been uninstalled reportedly fixing the issue. When attempting to do this, a pop-up regarding the Lock Screen app will appear, and you can select the turn off' option.

Though the beta app has been far from a success first time out, subsequent versions of Live Lock Screen will likely see a marked improvement.

UK users of the Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview are set to get access to the beta version of Microsoft's personal voice assistant Cortana within the next fortnight.

The timeline for UK delivery has been confirmed by Marcus Ash, group programme manager for Cortana, who said the beta software will be provided as an update in "less than two weeks."

He also revealed the UK version of the software will sport an English accent

The finished version of the software is pencilled in for Q4 2014.

The tool will not be available for iOS and Android, despite suggestions to the contrary, Ash confirmed back in June. At the time, he said Microsoft is only "actively talking about" launching Cortana on other platforms.

This would put it in direct competition with Apple's Siri and Google Now.

The company are focusing on the successful launch of the product on Windows Phone, but Cortana may reach Windows 8 at a later date. Microsoft's plan is to establish the platform on their own devices, prioritising existing customers before rolling it out to iOS and Android.

These comments from Ash, many of them made via Twitter, have put rumours of Cortana reaching iOS and Android devices to bed after days of speculation. It has also been confirmed that Cortana will reach Windows Phone within weeks, rather than months, as had been previously expected.

This story was originally published on 16 June, before being updated on 22 July to reflect new UK preview release date information.

Microsoft has pulled the plug on Nokia's short-lived dalliance with Android.

In an email to employees, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said the company would be switching some of its Nokia X devices to its own Windows Phone operating system.

The email also detailed the biggest cull of jobs from the firm in its history with the loss of 18,000 jobs across the board. Around 12,500 would be from its recently acquired Nokia Devices division.

Nadella said the Nokia Devices and Services teams would be integrated into Microsoft.

"We will realise the synergies to which we committed when we announced the acquisition last September," said Nadella. "The first-party phone portfolio will align to Microsoft's strategic direction. To win in the higher price tiers, we will focus on breakthrough innovation that expresses and enlivens Microsoft's digital work and digital life experiences."

He added the firm would "shift select Nokia X product designs to become Lumia products running Windows".

"This builds on our success in the affordable smartphone space and aligns with our focus on Windows Universal Apps."

In a memo to staff, Stephen Elop, executive vice president of Microsoft's devices unit, echoed Nadella sentiments and saidMicrosoft would now be "particularly focused on making the market for Windows Phone".

"In the near term, we plan to drive Windows Phone volume by targeting the more affordable smartphone segments, which are the fastest growing segments of the market, with Lumia," he said.

"In addition to the portfolio already planned, we plan to deliver additional lower-cost Lumia devices by shifting select future Nokia X designs and products to Windows Phone devices. We expect to make this shift immediately while continuing to sell and support existing Nokia X products."

The move to kill Android-based Nokia phones echoes Microsoft's moves to ditch the Kin phone in 2010.

Only last month, Microsoft unveiled its second generation Android phone Nokia X2.

Packing a pin-sharp 5in display, 20-megapixel camera and a wireless charging accessory, the Lumia 930 has a solid feature set.

It's the first flagship Nokia handset to ship with the Windows Phone 8.1 update. This introduces key features like a drop down notification menu and increased customisation. But is the overall performance of the 930 able to match rivals like the iPhone 5s or Galaxy S5?

Soft-touch

Despite being 5ins in size, the Lumia 930 doesn't feel bulky like Nokia's existing 1520 and 1020 handsets. The 930 isn't the thinnest (9.8mm) or the lightest (167g) smartphone but it is one of the most comfortable to hold. This is down to the soft-touch polycarbonate material on the rear, which gives it a luxurious feel. It's a welcome change from the cold aluminium on the iPhone or the lifeless plastic on the Galaxy range.

The display is magnificent, with 441 pixels-per-inch squeezed into the 5in diagonal via the full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. Blacks are so deep and colours pop out of the screen. It's a pleasure reading web pages and emails on this device.

Nokia's attention to detail is outstanding. The panel has a subtle curve at the edge where the rim meets giving it a premium look and the display is made from toughened Gorilla Glass 3.

Like other Windows Phone handsets, there are three brightness settings: low, medium or high. The medium setting paired with the automatic brightness sensor worked best for everyday use. Nokia has also packed in a sun readability mode, and this makes it easier to see the screen outdoors in bright conditions compared to other handsets.

For most users the standard screen settings will be adequate, but it is possible to personalise them. Going to Settings > Display allows you to choose between standard, cool and vivid colour profiles. Choosing the advanced options allows you to tinker with the colour temperature, tint and saturation, useful for professional users who may want to check the colour accuracy of photographs.

For those with smaller hands, reaching the corners of the device with a thumb will prove tricky when using the device with one hand. But this is the same for all 5in+ handsets, such as the Galaxy S5.

Wireless charging

Nokia is keen to differentiate itself from its competitors by bundling in a wireless charging accessory with every 930. This is welcome as most people will not splash out for something that isn't necessary.

From the 17 July, Nokia will also be running a special promotion for the first two weeks. Customers will get two wireless chargers, a Bluetooth speaker and 25 Windows Store gift card when purchasing the 930.

Performance

A 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor provides the heartbeat of the device and is paired with 2GB of RAM. This provides race-car like performance.

Apps are quick to load - something which hasn't always been the case with Windows Phone - and transitions between apps and web pages are smooth.

Nokia includes 32GB of internal storage along with 7GB of free cloud storage. This goes some way towards mitigating the lack of micro SD support.

Internet Explorer 11 is the default web browser and loads up pages fast. Sunspider returned a result of 517m/s, a shade slower than Safari on the iPhone 5s (420 m/s) but quicker than Chrome on the Galaxy S5 (720m/s).

Web browsing is superb with the 5in screen providing plenty of space for text and images. We like the reading view mode, which reformats pages in a magazine style, great for reading long-form content. We also like the ability to invert the colours in this mode. Turning the background to black and text to white saves battery life and make content easier to read.

The only area we were disappointed by was the inability to view video directly from the BBC Sport website, which seemed bizarre as content worked perfectly through the iPlayer app.

Business-ready

The Lumia 930 has Office, OneDrive, OneNote and Skype pre-loaded, so users can be productive out-of-the-box. This is handy for large-scale deployments as IT admins don't have to provision devices with popular productivity tools. Management of Windows Phone 8.1 is easier than before with admins able to enforce S/MIME policies.

On the user side, it's easy to sync up multiple emails accounts to Windows Phone devices and inboxes can be kept separate or linked together depending on user preference. Microsoft has tweaked the Calendar app by adding a "week view" and integrating weather details into the app as well.

There are still no official Google apps available on Windows Phone and Nokia aims to mitigate this by bundling in Here Maps and Mix Radio. Another interesting feature is the ability to share the screen of the Lumia 930 with any other device connected to the internet via Nokia Beam. This can be done by sending a link via email, text social media or by scanning a QR code.

The information is shared through Nokia servers, but the firm claims it is not stored. This isn't full-scale virtualisation so you can't share videos. Everytime you switch to a different screen, you have to shake the Lumia to change the image for the recipient. It's ideal for walking someone through a presentation, sharing notes or pictures remotely.

Windows Phone 8.1

The look of Windows Phone remains dominated by the bespoke Live Tiles on the Start Screen. Microsoft has increased customisation options, so you can now have up to three columns and it's possible to overlay a photo on the screen. The tiles can be arranged in any pattern, theoretically meaning every Windows device can look different.

The ability to make prominent shortcuts for the most used features is a strength of Windows Phone. Power users can allow email, contacts, Internet Explorer and productivity apps to take centre stage, for example.

When it comes to new inclusions, the highlight is the debut of the drop-down notification menu. Having the ability to see notifications in one place is a simple but useful features.

This menu also provides quick shortcuts to activate features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Flight Mode and Brightness. You can choose which four shortcuts you want in the notification menu from a list of seven options.

Microsoft has built in apps to comprehensively manage storage, data usage and battery. The firm has also integrated its own Word Flow technology into the default keyboard - giving users the ability to enter words by swiping across the keyboard instead of having to tap individuals letters. It's a great addition and makes input on Windows Phone excellent.

Camera and battery life

Nokia includes a 20-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash. It runs on PureView technology and although pictures are not as detailed as on the 41-megapixel snapper of the 1020, you will get clear vibrant shots.

The Lumia 930 is powered by a non-removable 2420mAh battery, not the biggest when you consider the 5in screen size. The Xperia Z2 (3,200mAh) and the Galaxy S5 (2,800mAh) are also 5in+ devices and have considerably bigger batteries.

To put the device through its paces - we synced up our work and email accounts to push through email and then carried out 60 minutes of Wi-Fi web browsing. The 930 used up 19 per cent of its battery life in one hour - so with intense usage you'll struggle to get through the working day without battery saver mode.

Overall

The Lumia 930 combine good size with the most comprehensive Windows Phone software to-date. We can't fault the hardware, with Nokia delivering a superb display and good camera. Battery life doesn't match devices like the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2, but few do.

But if your business is tied into Microsoft's legacy apps, this is one of the best devices available. Just make sure you get the green over orange, which is garish.

Verdict

The best all-round Windows Phone device to-date, the Lumia 930 packs excellent performance with the updated Windows Phone 8.1 interface.

OS: Windows Phone 8.1 Display: 5in Clearblack OLED, 1,080 x 1,920 (441ppi) Processor: 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 RAM: 2GB Storage: 32GB + 7GB free cloud storage Camera: 20-megapixel with autofocus, flash, 1280 x 960 pixel front-facing Connectivity: Wi-Fi: WLAN IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4, NFC, 4G, A-GPS, A-GLONASS, BeiDou, Sensor enhanced positioning Ports: micro USB Dimensions: 137 x 71 x 9.8mm (WDH) Battery: 2,420mAh Weight: 167g

Microsoft is rumoured to be removing the desktop mode from Windows 9 for mobile devices, while PCs running the operating system could be sold with the Metro view disabled.

A lot of talk around Windows 9 has centred on the return of the classic Start Button, taking a step back from the unpopular Metro menu introduced with Windows 8.

Rumours suggest the live tile view will even be disabled by default, though the apps will still be available to users.

For phones and tablets running Windows 9, however, it is rumoured the traditional desktop could disappear completely with the next iteration.

Hybrid systems will offer both modes, and which one displays will depend on whether the keyboard is attached.

Windows 9, or "Threshold", is expected to arrive sometime in 2015, with Windows 8.1 Update 2's release imminent and Update 3 set for April next year.

This third update could delay the release of Windows 9, with the rumoured launch date moving from April to June 2015.

The troubled launch of Windows 8, the first to move away from the traditional desktop and Start Menu, has served to put many people off of Microsoft's operating system, and Windows 9's reinstatement of these features is likely to pique the interest of hesitant late adopters.

Microsoft has boosted its Windows Phone security features after signing up to CTIA's Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment in April.

Although the company previously used the Find My Phone feature on Windows Phone devices, allowing you to remotely find, ring, lock or erase your phone via a web interface on your computer, it will be issuing an update to all Windows Phone 8 devices in the coming weeks.

Following advice from the US government and the CTIA, Microsoft has boosted this service by adding the ability to remotely erase data, disable the device (although emergency services numbers will still work) and prevent reactivation of the device without the owner's consent.

Users can reactivate their phone if it's recovered and restore data using data stored in the cloud.

Fred Humphries, vice president, US Government Affairs at Microsoft said: "The wireless industry has undertaken voluntary efforts over the last several years, including consumer education initiatives, the development of shared stolen phone databases and offering new theft deterrent technologies.

"Last June, the Secure Our Smartphones initiative led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and supported by numerous law enforcement officials engaged with the wireless industry with the goal of developing more extensive technological solutions that would allow stolen phones to be disabled remotely."

Google has also agreed to implement a 'kill switch' in its Android smartphones after also pledging its support for the CTIA's Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment.

Both Samsung and Apple offer the ability to lock down devices if they are lost or stolen. Data from Consumer Reports shows that Apple thefts declined 24 per cent when a kill switch was installed, while Samsung thefts increased three per cent before it introduced its enhancement.

"With these additional features, we're hopeful that technology as part of a broader strategy can help to further reduce incentives for criminals to steal smartphones in the first place," Humphries said.

The Lumia 630 is the first smartphone to ship with Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.1 software. This brings a number of crucial features like a notification panel, enhanced keyboard and more MDM policies. But is the sub-100 hardware the weak link?

A number of compromises have to be made to hit the budget price point with the 4.5in IPS display the most prominent casualty. It's got a basic 854 x 480 resolution so means images and pictures are not as pin sharp as budget rivals like the Moto G (1,280 x 720).

Don't expect the Lumia 630 to compete with 500 plus premium devices such as the iPhone 5s (1,136 x 640) or Galaxy S5 (1,080 x 1,920) when it comes to the screen technology either.

There's no auto brightness sensor and adjusting in the OS only allows three settings: Low, Medium or High rather than a slider scale. We also noticed uneven backlighting, most prominent at the top of the screen when you use a white background for the menus. However, maximum screen brightness is respectable at 396 cd/m2.

The 630 casing is made from plastic and has a nice matte finish. If you opt for a green Lumia 630, you'll get green matching buttons for volume and power on the sides. It's a subtle improvement on the Lumia 625 which featured contrasting black buttons.

The back is user removable, allowing you to add micro SD card (up to 128GB), replace the battery or change colour.

Weighing in at 134g, the Lumia isn't bulky. The placement of the side lock button in the middle makes it easy to press when holding the device with one hand and volume buttons are found above.

Hardware and Camera

Internal components are mid-range. Nokia uses a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon S400 processor to power the device, but RAM is limited to 512MB and when switching between apps there is noticeable pause.

In our tests using the Sunspider web browser benchmarks, the Lumia 630 scored 1460.4ms which puts it on a par with the Moto G which scored 1455.5ms.

The 8GB of internal storage can be mitigated by the micro SD support, but there's no substituting the lack of 4G. However, with a maximum allowance of 1GB the high-speed connection would use this up quickly.

The camera is another area where the difference between the 630 and high-end devices is apparent. The 5-megapixel rear camera is average and the lack of LED flash combined with a F/2.4 lens practically rules out low-light photography.

With the stock camera app in Windows 8.1 and Nokia Camera both slow to open and sluggish autofocus, the device is not ideal for capturing fleeting moments.

There's also no front facing camera which rules out the ability to take selfies and use it for video conferencing. When used alongside a Moto G, we found the captured images were slightly better on the 630, often with more detail in the shadows and more vibrant colours.

Battery life was adequate, with the Lumia 630's 1830mAh battery easily lasting a day of moderate use before requiring a charge. The ability to replace the battery should also help to increase the longevity of the device.

The 630 used up 12 per cent of the battery for every hour of Wi-Fi browsing (with brightness set to medium) and 10 per cent when playing a HD video. This consumption is on par with most high-end devices.

Windows Phone 8.1

The Windows Phone 8.1 operating system brings a host of updates. Action Centre is one of the most basic yet crucial addition. The drop-down notification menu allows you to see any missed calls or message alerts.

You also get useful quick toggles in Action Centre, allowing you to change often used settings such as Wi-Fi, Rotation Lock and Brightness. There are four slots available and you can swap these out in the Settings to your personal preference.

Microsoft still needs to improve this feature. Even when you click on a notification, it remains in the thread and you need to manually clear it.

Enterprise features have been enhanced making devices like the Lumia 630 better suited for deployment. There's support for Intune cloud-based device management, an improved Outlook with forced S/MIME policies, a revamped Calendar interface and support for more VPN providers.

Microsoft's in-house Word Flow software also introduces swipe-based keyboard entry which makes one-handed typing easier and new customisation options now allow you to have three columns of apps on the Start screen.

Cortana is another eye-catching feature of Windows Phone 8.1. To get the voice assistant to work, you'll have to set the Lumia 630 to US language and region for now, as British English support is scheduled for later in the year.

The virtual assistant is able to understand most of the voice commands from Android and iOS, meaning you can send messages, check calendar appointments or search for coffee shops in the local area, via voice.

Overall

The Lumia 630 is limited by the hardware specifications but it remains good value if you can track it down for the sub-100 price. This seems to be tricky as at present O2 looks like the one place where you can get the device for 99. Other retailers are offering it for 130, so if you're not on O2 we'd recommend the simlar priced Moto G instead.

Verdict

A great budget Windows Phone device with a removable battery and expandable storage.

OS: Windows Phone 8.1

Processor: 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S400

Memory/Storage: 512 RAM; 8GB internal + up to 128GB microSD

Screen: 4.5in (854 x 480)

Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n, micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack

Other: A-GPS, A-GLONASS, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor

Camera: 5MP rear

Battery: Replaceable 1830mAh

Size: 129.5 x 66.7 x 9.2mm

Weight: 134g

Windows Phones are going to war with iOS and Android for a piece of the enterprise market, with the inconsistency and expense of its rivals cited as positives for Microsoft's handsets.

John Delaney, head of IDC's European mobility team, spoke at Microsoft's Business Transformed' event, telling media in attendance the Windows Phone is now ideally placed to take on competitors in the enterprise sector. Windows Phone handsets were the fastest selling OS across the world in 2013.

"iOS is only available on two devices, both of which are expensive to purchase, and which also tend to run up higher mobile data bills," said Delaney.

"Android is fragmented and inconsistent between different device brands, and even between different models in a single brand's device range. There are also concerns about the security of Android, such as its high level of exposure to malware."

In comparison, Delaney pointed to the wide range of devices available with Microsoft's OS, often priced lower and offering an improved user experience. The consistency of Windows 8 between mobile, tablet and desktop devices was also highlighted.

According to statistics revealed at the event, 35 per cent of UK enterprises are using Android devices, while 32 per cent are running iOS. This leaves Windows Phones with 10 per cent of the consumer market share in the UK.

"There is a strong growing opportunity for Microsoft to target enterprise IT buyers with Windows Phone, driven by two factors: the wave of enterprises that have been all-BlackBerry shops, and have decided they need to seek an alternative; and the increasing tendency for enterprises to take a CYOD (choose your own device) approach in preference to the full BYOD (bring your own device) model, thus leaving platform selection in the hands of IT rather than end users."