In case you missed it: Windows 9 build 9795 screenshots, Lumia 530 launch, FY14 Q4 results, and more

Ron

In case you missed it: Windows 9 build 9795 screenshots, Lumia 530 launch, FY14 Q4 results, and more

This week has been quite interesting in the world of Microsoft. We’ve covered a lot over the past week and chances are you most likely missed an important piece of news. Let’s recap the week in our weekly “In case you missed it” post.

Microsoft has finally RTM’d Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 (or Update 1) internally which means a release for developers is imminent. Consumer changes include folders on the Start Screen, allowing users to group certain apps together much like on Android and iOS. Another rumored consumer feature is a brand new 3D UI for hardware which supports it, although we won’t be seeing that UI anytime soon as hardware is yet to be available which supports it. The Store app tile is now a live tile.

A new patent filing details Microsoft’s plan to offer price differentiation for in-app purchases (IAP) depending on the market. Microsoft wants to change that with the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store. In fact, Microsoft wants developers to be able to associate different prices for an IAP based on the market that is associated with the user. 

Fruits and vegetables are touted as important for our everyday health. But did you know they can also be used to power the latest Windows Phone 8.1 powered Lumia 930? Speaking of odd things, have you seen the OneNote team’s parody video of LMFAO’s I’m Sexy and I know it?

The Live Lock screen app for Windows Phone has been teased and promised by Microsoft and late last week, the app was made available in the form of a Beta. Speaking of Beta apps, BBM for Windows Phone saw 10,000 beta testers signed up during the first 24 hours and the official app is set for release this coming week.

Gameloft’s highly anticipated Modern Combat 5 game was made available to Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 earlier this week. We also got our first look at Halo Nightfall.

Microsoft is set to expand its retail footprint with thirteen new Microsoft Store locations, set to open over the next few months. These locations include United States and Canada, with no stores yet to be revealed in any other country.

Earlier in the week, Microsoft announced the Lumia 530 and posted a new video to Nokia’s YouTube page, touting the brand new Lumia 530 as the ‘best-value smartphone around.’ In fact, Microsoft even compares the Lumia 530 to various budget Android devices like the Moto E and Samsung Galaxy Ace.

Words were floating around the internet claiming that Microsoft’s Xbox Music and Xbox Video services are on the verge of being cut. This is not true. Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore took it to Twitter earlier this week to reveal that the company has no plans to end these services.

At the beginning of the week, Microsoft’s FY14 Q4 results were revealed. 5.8 million Lumia Windows Phone smartphones sold and 1.1 million Xbox consoles sold. The company also revealed that $23.38 billion in revenue was earned, and that the decision not to ship Surface Mini reflected in 2014 cost of revenue.

We also posted a video offering a quick inside look at Microsoft’s ‘Secret Surface Lab.’ 

Developers and people involved in enterprise computing now have a new date to add to their calendars. It’s nearly a year away, but the first ever “unified Microsoft commercial technology event” will be taking place in the week commencing May 4, 2015.

We’ve heard this a few times from various sources. One operating system to rule them all. One operating system for phones, tablets, computers, and Xbox. It looks like the framework for that operating system is being referred to as Windows OneCore. A job listing has surfaced, giving us a peek at what OneCore might be about.

More screenshots of Microsoft’s upcoming release of Windows Threshold (Windows 9?) have leaked onto the web. The screenshots were taken from build 9795, which was compiled on the 13th July 2014 at 6:34PM. This particular build isn’t feature complete, but does include a Start Menu along with working Modern UI applications.