CHETAN BHAGAT New book Half Girlfriend Pre Order now just @149/- click on Buy Half Girlfriend and get a chance to win signed copies

Buy Half Girlfriend Half Girlfriend is the much-awaited novel by the famous Indian novelist, Chetan Bhagat. It delves into new and different dimensions that relationships have in today’s world. Summary of the Book Madhav is a Bihari boy with big dreams who falls in love with the beautiful Riya, a rich lass from Delhi. There are some fundamental differences between the two. Madhav’s English isn’t all that great, but Riya speaks the best English. Madhav wants Riya to be his girlfriend but Riya disagrees. She wants them to be just friends but he definitely wants more. Riya finally comes up with a suggestion, a compromise – she agrees to become his half-girlfriend! Chetan Bhagat presents a simple and beautiful love story that will move you with all the nuances of a modern-day relationship. It also inspires you to realize your individual dreams. About Chetan Bhagat Chetan Bhagat is a famous contemporary Indian writer, speaker, columnist and novelist. He was born in New Delhi in 1974. Considered one of India's most popular writers of fiction, Chetan Bhagat is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Before becoming a fulltime writer, Chetan worked as an investment banker for a few years. The New York Times called him ‘the biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history’. Some of Chetan's other notable works are Five Point Someone, One Night at the Call Centre, 2 States, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, and Revolution 2020. Three of his books have been adapted into Bollywood movies, two of which went on to become massive hit movies: 3 Idiots and Kai Po Che! Buy Half Girlfriend

Top five best Windows Phone apps and games as of June 14th

The Windows Phone Store is home to many apps and every day it grows with new submissions. Let's continue our weekly trend of exploring the top apps available in the Windows Phone Store.
As of June 14th, the top-five free apps are Files, Facebook, Pandora, ooVoo Video Call, and Messenger. The top five paid apps are Download MP3, Background Designer, Theme+, Metrotube, and FLV Player HD. The top-five trending apps are ooVoo Video Call, Pinterest Beta, TED, Forza Football, and Music & Audio.
The top-five free games are Piano Tiles, Extreme Survival Run, Temple Run 2, Don't Tape on The White Tile, and 100 Balls. The top-five paid games are Doodle Devil, Angry Birds, Cut The Rope Exp, BADLAND, and Sonic CD.
Let's explore these apps and see if we can find you your new favorite app!

Pinterest Beta (free) - Earlier this week, we were treated to the debut of the official Pinterest app for Windows Phone. But don't get too excited, the app is just a mobile web wrapper and offers only a few unique experiences. This fact is reflected in the app's ratings, where many disappointed users left comments like "lazy" and "I waiting for long time a Pinterest official app but I feel a quite disappointed with this version. It's not different [than] a mobile site version."
For those that did not know, Pinterest is a tool to help you discover and plan things you want to do. When you find something that looks interesting, just Pin it! Pins are visual bookmarks that you organize and share the way you want.
The app is available right now and is currently in Beta. This app is currently trending in the Windows Phone Store.

ooVoo Video Call (free) - "With ooVoo you can make FREE video calls, voice calls, and send text messages to easily connect with friends and family. ooVoo is the highest quality video chat app, beating other leading brands hands down. Start a free video call with one person or up to twelve people and experience the best quality video and audio. Over 100 million people are on ooVoo, it’s easy to sign up and add friends," the app description reads.
ooVoo lets you do one-on-one video calls and group video calls with up to 12 participants as well as instant messaging, and also includes echo cancelation for crystal clear audio. ooVoo is known for offering the best video experience possible even at places with low bandwidth.
This app is currently trending in the Windows Phone Store and is in the top-five free apps list for this week.

TED (free) - "TED's official app presents talks from some of the world's most fascinating people: education radicals, tech geniuses, medical mavericks, business gurus, and music legends. Find more than 1700 TEDTalk videos and audios (with more added each week) on the official TED app -- now for Windows Phone," the app description reads.
In case you aren’t familiar, TED is an independent, non-profit organization that invites people to share their remarkable stories with others. These stories are made available to all for free on the Web. Earlier this week, the official app for this delightful service arrived at the Windows Phone Store.

Forza Football (free) - "Live scores and push notifications, and video highlights for more than 420 football leagues and cups around the world. As well as being a live score app known and loved internationally, Forza Football is simultaneously changing the face of football by liberating and sharing the collective opinion of fans from all over the world," the app description reads.
This app is simple and is currently trending in the Windows Phone Store. You can set alerts for your favorite teams, receive detailed and customized push notifications for each team or match you are following, and you can receive quick and accurate updates compared to other football apps. If you are watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup, this app is the perfect companion!

Music & Audio (free) - "In the Music & Audio, music fans will receive all the features that they require from a Music app. It allows you to search, listen and download lots of songs for free. It also provides an excellent music player. It is quick and convenient," the app description reads.
This app is also trending in the Windows Phone Store and is a fantastic music player for Windows Phone. The app features various genres of music includes Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, Rap, Soul, Funk, World, Reggae, Jazz & Blues, Rock, Urban, Metal, Electronic, Classical, Mixtape, audiobooks, learning, storytelling, entertainment. Interestingly enough, you can search for almost any song you want to hear and save it too (utilizing the SoundCloud API).
You can create offline playlists, transfer music to your phone's library, log in via your SoundCloud account, and much more. Give this app a try and see if you like it.
Stay tuned for next week's Windows Phone Store app highlights!

Xbox Music app for Windows Phone 8.1 expected to receive update 'early next week'

Xbox Music app for Windows Phone 8.1 expected to receive update 'early next week'

Continued focus on stability and performance improvements.
Initial sync of local and cloud content happens in the background.
Support for more than 100 songs... in the Now Playing queue.
Faster loading of longer lists.
Transparent Tile support.
Live Tile support.
Kid’s Corner support.
General UX improvements.

Internet Explorer 12 to feature 'substantial changes' to the user interface?

In an official Microsoft blog post late last month, it was revealed that the Redmond giant had already begun development on the next version of Internet Explorer - currently known as Internet Explorer 12 (IE12). Microsoft outlined some of these new features and indicated that they were in development, as part of Microsoft's commitment of delivering interoperable implementations for the latest features on the modern Web.

But it seems like Microsoft has more up it's sleeve with the development of IE12. One of our readers reported an issue with Internet Explorer 11's bookmarks bar requiring some user interface improvements. The issue was reported to Microsoft's Internet Explorer team on Microsoft Connect. While this may be considered a minor issue (if you want to call it that), the interesting part about this is Microsoft's response. "Thanks for the feedback. We're making substantial changes to the UI, we'll keep this in mind. Best Regards, The Internet Explorer Team."
From the sounds of it, Microsoft is looking to make some big changes to Internet Explorer 12, especially to the user interface. Will there be changes for the desktop or the Modern interface? Or will it be for both interfaces? Details are nonexistent right now but we are sure to hear more about this as development continues. Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer's primary competitor, recently underwent a major user interface overhaul too.
Thusfar, Microsoft has outlined a few new features for IE12, such as Web Audio, Media Capture, and HTTP/2 support. Web Audio, for those that did not know, is a specification that describes a high-level JavaScript API for processing and synthesizing audio in web applications. Media Capture allows access to a device's camera or microphone, while HTTP/2 is a major revision of the Web's protocol and is intended to decrease the wait time spent loading web pages. You can see a list of planned features by visiting status.modern.ie.
In the mean time, what interface improvements would you like to see in Internet Explorer 12?

Nokia Camera Beta and Storyteller for Windows Phone receive various bug fixes and improvements

Today has been a day full of app updates. Not to be outdone, new updates are available for Nokia Camera Beta and Nokia Storyteller. Both app updates offer various improvements and bug fixes. Let's dive in and see what's new!

As you most likely already know, the Nokia Camera app is designed to make the most of your Nokia Lumia Camera. The Beta version of the app offers users a chance to toy with the latest fixes and features. In the latest update to version 4.7.1.9, a fix for camera roll delays was implemented, along with a fix for a crash caused when re-framing pictures captured with the front facing camera. There is also a fix for corrupt videos when recording over the 4GB limit. The app update also fixes various bugs and adds new improvements.
Nokia Storyteller, an exclusive app for Lumia devices, also received an app update to version 2.0.4.5. "Nokia Storyteller automatically groups all your photos, videos and cinemagraphs into individual events called stories. In your timeline you can browse your stories and modify them, then view them as slideshows or share them with friends. You can also sort your photos and videos by location, add captions and create a list of favorites, and when you’re looking at a photo you can zoom out to see where you took it on a map," the app description reads.
Here are the new improvements:

• Living Images are displayed in Nokia Storyteller
• Photos and videos in a story are combined with a backing track to create a 30-second story video
• Nokia Storyteller integrates with Nokia Creative Studio and Nokia Video Trimmer for editing your photos and videos
• Location data is associated with your photos within Nokia Storyteller

Hit the downloads links below to snag the updates. Thanks to everyone who emailed us about these updates!

Download Here :

Nokia Camera Beta

Nokia Storyteller

GunFinger for Windows Phone will allow you to test your fast finger skills and mow down undead hillbillies

How fast are your finger skills when it comes to mowing down hordes of undead hillbillies? Check out GunFinger for Windows Phone, a free game that that offers an awesome shooting adventure on phone and tablet! All you have to do is use your finger to point at a zombie to fire your weapon. Your aim makes all the difference.



The game features some of the most awesome 3D graphics you'll see on a phone or tablet. It supports cutting edge effects like real-time reflections, shadows, and normal maps. You can customize an arsenal of unique weapons - including shotguns and sniper rifles - to take down undead monsters, rescue civilians, and complete increasingly challenging skill missions.
The Daily Challenge mode lets you enjoy playing a new mission every day if you become bored with the missions. There are over seventy missions set across locations including spooky farmsteads, desert canyons and underground mines. Fight zombies, monsters, and even rubber ducks!
The game is free to play and you can purchase in-game items via an in-app purchase. You can turn off the payment features by disabling the in-app purchases via your device's settings.
Download Here

UK government chooses Microsoft over open source due to cost savings

Chief Information Officer for Hampshire, Jos Creese, has stated in a recent interview that the UK government opts for Microsoft over open source alternatives because it's generally cheaper once costs have been calculated. Creese notes that the software giant has been flexible when it comes to deploying products and hardware to improve frontline services. Cost is not limited to just licensing fees.
                        
There's no arguing that new tenders and contracts signed by governments can be somewhat overpriced, but Creese defends his point by explaining companies like Microsoft, SAP and Oracle have to justify costs and work hard to drive a flexible business model. This is something Microsoft has and will continue to do when working with said parties, ensuring that its products are deployed to maintain market share.
But open source is generally free and therefore should be saving costs, rather than pricey Windows licensing and costs, right? It depends on deployment, support and all other management costs that are calculated when deciding on business plans. This is what Creese notes as being more affordable with Redmond, since everything is included and Microsoft already has management tools available for IT departments.
Microsoft is also currently attempting to drive custom from Windows XP to Windows 8, but has extended support to governments who have requested prolonged coverage of the ageing operating system, including the UK. The company has made moves to make its offerings more appealing by slicing licensing fees as well as helping out with both developments and business models.
Source: Computing, via: Forbes

Windows 8.1-Powered Lumia 630 with Dual SIM capability launched in India, Starts at Rs 10,500

 Windows 8.1-Powered Lumia 630 with Dual SIM capability launched in India, Starts at Rs 10,500

                               
Microsoft has just announced the all new Nokia Lumia 630 in India. There are a few things which make the device a sweet package. Primarily, this is the first Lumia phone to sport a Dual SIM card slot, something that people in the Asia-pacific region really dig, not to mention the envious price of Rs 11,500 too. A single SIM variant can also be bought for Rs 10,500. The phone will start shipping from May 16th onwards.
At the event, P. Balaji, Managing Director and VP of Sales for India and Vipul Mehrotra and Head of Smart Devices, showcased the phone. To give a perspective of its performance, Asphalt 8 was shown running on the Lumia 630, along with two other Android devices. From the looks of it, the Lumia 630 was definitely the faster one. The chiefs also touted a special motion sensor, called SensorCore, present in the new phone which can be used for tracking activities.
From the specifications standpoint, the Lumia 630 sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen with a resolution of 854x480. Powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and coupled with 512MB RAM, the phone comes with Windows Phone 8.1 operating system out of the box. It sports a 5MP shooter at the back, but the absence of a front-facing camera is kind of a downer. Its 1830mAh battery and 8 gigs internal memory are adequate. You can expand the phone memory to 128GB via a microSD card.
The 10,500 and 11,500 price factor is crucial, and in our opinion rather smart. Lumia 630 is now easily one of the most affordable Dual-SIM phones featuring Windows 8.1, along with such a great build quality and, of course, brand power. The ever successful Moto G phone now has some very strong competition.

App Updates this week : Cal, Metrotube, TrueCaller, Lockmix and more

We're slowly grinding through this week, covering news and looking at what's next for Microsoft and its platforms. Developers have been busy cranking out updates left, right and center to keep consumers happy with new features, bug addressing and more. We'll round up some of the updates that have passed through the store.

Cal 1.4

The update for Cal is a small, but important release. This latest version, 1.4.0.0 to be exact, addsWindows Phone 8.1 support in the form of transparent live tiles. Should you be rocking the developer preview of the next major Windows Phone release, you'll be pleased to hear that Cal will now integrate nicely to reveal those awesome backgrounds you have set up.

• Download Cal (4MB – $0.99)

TrueCaller 4.0.3.0

This is a super neat app for Windows Phone which helps smartphone owners see who's calling them. There may have been numerous times when an unknown caller is contacting you and you simply do not know whether it's best to answer or block the call. TrueCaller helps to solve this issue. What's more is you're also able to block calls and ensures the phone book is up-to-date.

The latest update (version 4.0.3.0) brings the following:

• New design to take advantage of Modern UI
• Editable personal profiles
• Spam notifications will show when an unwanted caller is ringing the phone
• Verified badges help everyone figure out who's legit and who isn't
• 29 languages

This is all thanks to a new development team formed of quality folk who know Windows Phone inside and out. We recommend this app, especially if you're slightly paranoid about unwanted callers.

• Download True Caller (2MB – free)

Pocket Sheep 1.5.0.24

Pocket Sheep is one of the popular listings from Nokia's AppCampus. The game puts the player in charge of herding cute little sheep through levels to safety. In the latest release, the developers have added 90 collectable cards for players to grab. Complete each level to unlock them all.

• Download Pocket Sheep (28MB – free)

Metrotube 4.1.2.0

Metrotube is a premium Youtube client for Windows Phone. Just like Cal above, this latest release adds support for transparent Live Tiles in Windows Pone 8.1, letting you further personalize the Start screen with custom backgrounds.

• Download Metrotube (1MB – $0.99)

Odds and ends

As well as the above apps, we have also been made aware of the following receiving updates:

• Lockmix (1.9.0.0)
• HD Photo Viewer (3.4.8.6)
• Google Maps (8.7.1.0)
• ProShot (3.7.0.0)
• TimeMe (2.0.3.0)

Quick Launcher for Windows Phone 8.1 gives you quick access to your cellular settings

Windows Phone 8.1 introduced a handful of new features that we’re using every day. Notification center is probably the most used out of all those features. It’s a great tool to quickly see all the notifications from your apps and to quickly toggle a select settings on and off. Unfortunately, not all settings can be accessed with in the Action center. Thankfully a new app called Quick Launcher might solve a few of your problems. Details below on how you can quickly access your cellular settings in the Notification center.

Quick Launcher is a new Windows Phone 8.1 app that allows you to get quick access to cellular settings. In addition, you can also jump quickly to popular apps like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and others.

Quick Launcher doesn’t add a true cellular toggle to the Action center. Instead it creates notifications that persist and stay in the Notification center. You can then tap them to quickly get to the cellular setting or popular apps. Right now the following apps are supported in Quick Launcher: Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat. More apps will come to the application in a future update, be sure to let the dev know which apps you want!

Quick Launcher is currently in a public beta. It’s free to download and use the app. Give it a try if you’re waiting for Microsoft to add a cellular toggle to the Action center.

Download Quick Launcher from the Windows Phone Store.

source wpcentral

Bing app suite and Skype app for Windows 8.1 receive new updates

Microsoft has rolled out an update to the Skype app, along with an update to the Bing app suite for Windows 8.1. The Skype app features two new improvements, while there is no change log available for the Bing app suite.

"Stay connected while you shop, read, watch and work. When you do more with Skype, there's more to talk about. Connect how you want, when you want. Chat, hear their voice, or get together face to face all within the comfort of one app. Snap Skype alongside other apps to get more done or play a game together while you chat. Share everyday things and special moments - files, photos, or even a video message. Connect with anyone else on any PC, Mac, Android, iPad, Windows Phone, iPhone, Xbox One or more," the app description reads.

Here are the two new features in this latest update:

• Favorites sync across devices – You’ll have the same list of favorite contacts synced across all your devices
• Less scrolling – Your favorites and recent conversations take up less space so you easily see your entire contact list

The Bing app suite, comprising of Bing News, Bing Health & Fitness, Bing Travel, Bing Weather, Bing Finance, and Bing Sports, has also received an update. Microsoft did not provide a change log for the app updates, so we are left, as usual, on our own. Grab these updates via the Windows Store and let us know if you notice any new improvements.

You can hit the download link below for the updated Skype app.

DOWNLOAD LINK: 

SKYPE APP

Bing introduces Venue Maps for malls and airports in India

Microsoft has announced today that Bing users in India can now use Venue Maps to easily navigate malls across the country.

Source wpcwntral:
Venue maps provide an easy way of seeing the layout of a venue like a mall or an amusement park. Currently, Bing Maps provides maps and level wise layouts of over 5,300 venues across the world.

The service displays interior and exterior maps as a layer on top of Bing Maps, complete with store names and precise location data. The venue map data is provided from the Nokia Maps application as well as via Bing searches for public information such as maps which a mall may place on its website.

As you view the mall on your map, the venue map will automatically be displayed. If the mall has multiple levels, a menu bar should appear in the upper left corner of the map to allow you to change which level is displayed.

In India, Bing Venue Maps allows consumers to search 120 malls across Hyderabad, Delhi NCR, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Chennai, Kolkata, and other India cities as well as airports in three cities - Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi.

Also, several extra features have been added to Bing Search on Windows Phones. Consumers searching for local destinations on their Windows Phones will automatically be provided with directions on how to reach that destination, with an option for audio drive directions.

Last year, Nokia’s HERE division had launched venue mapping facility for over 20 cities in India and earlier this year, Google too launched indoor maps for malls across 22 cities in India.

Microsoft and Apple are both two-trick ponies: Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer,  who stepped down as Microsoft's CEO in February, did a speech last month at Oxford Union but some of it's extended excerpts were recently made public online.  Ballmer, passing Bill Gates to become Microsoft’s largest shareholder, said "I'm nervous" at the beginning of his talk, "this is the first I'll give and maybe my last if it doesn't go well".  He talked about the future of Microsoft, Facebook and Whatsapp, open source software and many other things. Although, one of the most interesting parts from the talk was when he referred Microsoft and Apple each as a "two-trick pony".

According to Ballmer, a lot of successful companies are "one-trick ponies" like Coca-Cola. He said, Coca-Cola invented one thing and sustained a profitable business by getting it right. “In a lot of businesses, you are forced to do a second trick or you die,” said Ballmer, referring to Microsoft and Apple. Apple invented the Macintosh and then also got its hands on low power touch computing.  Microsoft got into personal computing, then getting that technology adopted by businesses.  He said, a lot of businesses are forced to do a second trick or they die. 

Steve Ballmer is also scheduled to speak at the University of Washington commencement next month on the 14th.

NOKIA CREATIVE STUDIO 6: ENHANCE YOUR IMAGE

It’s been a staple favourite for many Lumia owners since it’s inception in early 2012. Now, the soon-to-be-released Nokia Creative Studio 6 will make editing your photos quicker, simpler, and more fun.

The latest version of Creative Studio sports an entirely redesigned user interface. While previous incarnations launched you straight into the filters menu, where you would first apply an effect, then make any further edits, Creative Studio 6 now presents your photo with various editing options in a menu bar alongside your image.

Reframing is a concept we introduced with Pro Camera for the Lumia 1020. Creative Studio 6.0 supports the dual capture, which means that you can rotate, straighten and change the aspect ratio of any image after you’ve shot it, over and over again without losing any quality.

The New Creative Studio makes it super easy for you to turn your shots into professional looking photographs. To get the right look we’ve worked with aprofessional photo studio to create ten high-quality filters, which can change the mood and feel of a photo dramatically.

Finding the right one for your photo is half the fun. You’ve got these to choose from:

• Vivid
• Warm Caress
• Warm Horizon
• Retro Fade
• Retro Cool
• B&W Fade
• B&W Strong
• B&W Antique
• Pure
• Nightlife

And if you want to make your pictures brighter, or add more color to it, you can go to the enhance module, where you can adjust brightness, shadows, clarity, vibrancy and colour tone. And if you don’t feel like adjusting it manually, we also have a very simple auto-fix feature.

Nokia Creative Studio 6 also provides non-destructive editing, meaning you can work and rework your image as many times as you like, until you’re left with your perfect photo.

This also means that you can always revert back to your original image. You also have the option to save your edited image as a copy into your camera roll.

We’ve also enhanced the blur functionality, and made sure that you can add circular blur or simulate the effect of a tilt-shift lens, or draw freehand which part of the image you want to blur, just like in CS 5.5.

The new CS 6.0 makes this process easier and more accurate, and also non-destructive, which means you can remove the blur from your image at any time. This makes the whole experience very playful.

You can add a filter, adjust brightness, add blur, and then go back to change the filter or reframe without loosing your edits. You can even save the image, and one week later you can still go back to your image and remove the blur if you so wish.

The much-loved colour-pop feature is something our engineers are working on, but will not be available until Creative Studio 6.1. The same goes for Red-Eyes-Reduction tool.

Nokia Creative Studio 6.0 launches with the sale start of Lumia 930, and will replace Creative Studio on all Lumia devices.

Microsoft updates OneDrive app for Windows Phone with some bug fixes

It’s Monday, so it’s time to kick off some app updates. Microsoft goes first with their OneDrive app, which recently received a fairly major update a few weeks ago. Since that time it received a bug fix update for duplicate folders and today, 4.1.2 is live in the Store bringing even more improvements.

So what’s new? Nothing much, as the changelog simply noted ‘bug fixes and performance improvements’, which while not detailed at least tells you something.

OneDrive 4.1.2 is fairly new, so you may not see the update live just yet, but give it a few minutes or force-check the update if on Windows Phone 8.1. Head to the Store here to pick up OneDrive for Windows Phone.

Danal opens up mobile operator billing for Windows Phone Store

Microsoft has now added another name to the list of partners helping roll out operating billing for theWindows Phone Store. Danal announced today that it is now processing mobile operator billing for Microsoft with the service being made available on multiple mobile operators using Danal's BilltoMobile payment platform.

"Danal's bespoke solution for Windows Phone provides the app store with our intuitive Carrier Billing payment option," said Jim Greenwell, President and CEO of Danal Inc. "We're extremely excited to bring that platform to the growing user base in the Windows Phone Store."

"Working with Danal to implement another secure payment solution for Windows Phone will enable even more customers to enjoy our expansive catalog of apps and games through one convenient billing system," said Todd Brix, general manager, Windows Store & Apps, Microsoft Corp. "Mobile Operator billing connections also benefit app developers by significantly increasing total app revenue in markets where operator billing is available," Brix continued.

In order to process all of the transactions, Danal had to create a custom interface to Microsoft's billing specifications. With the addition of the Danal's BilltoMobile payment platform, the Windows Phone Store now supports 59 Mobile Operator billing connections in 36 countries.

Verizon drops Lumia Icon's price to $99.99

It's been a while since Nokia released the Lumia Icon in the US. The handset is exclusively available from Verizon, and came with a $199.99 price tag. There's a piece of good news for those who are thinking about getting the Lumia Icon. Verizon has slashed the price of the handset to $99.99 with a two-year contract, a savings of $100 compared to the original price.

The Nokia Lumia Icon comes with a 5-inch display sporting a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC with 2GB of RAM. On the storage side, it comes with a 32GB internal storage. Unfortunately, there's no microSD card slot for those who want to expand on that. Other features include a 20MP camera with Carl Zeiss Optics and PureVIew, 1.2MP front-facing camera, 2,420 mAh battery and it runs Windows Phone 8 as its operating system. 

This reduction in the price is a part of the Mothers Day promotion Verizon is running on the latest smartphones so you need to act fast, the promotion will end on May 12th

For those of you who are having trouble deciding, you can check out our review of the Lumia Icon. I'm sure it's enough to help you make up your mind. So, who's getting a Lumia Icon? Sound off in the comments below.

Thanks Mark for the tip..

Surface 2s to be handed out to 5,800 Canadian career college students

Students attending Canadian career training institute CDI College are in line to receive a Surface 2s to help with their studies. The college has 26 campuses, and each of the 5,800 students will receive one of Microsoft's tablets by the end of summer this year.

Vice president at the college Dr. Bohdan Bilan said "We need to provide students with the tools they will use when they graduate and the skills that will translate in the future as technology continues to evolve, so the Surface 2 and Microsoft software was perfect for us".

CDI College started off with a pilot program at the Ajax, Ontario campus which then spread to the campus at Surrey, British Columbia. Now the entire student body will be able to take advantage of Surface 2s using tools such as Office 2013, Skype, and OneDrive to assist with their education.

"The experience students receive with the enterprise-quality technology of the Surface devices and Microsoft productivity tools help us achieve our goal of preparing them with the skills and experiences they need to succeed in their career now and 20 years from now," said Dr. Bilan.