I’ve already had two previous encounters with the Windows Phone 8X by HTC, including a comprehensive hands-on test before it was even launched, so I thought there’s hardly any more I can squeeze out of the phone.

Unexpectedly, HTC’s flagship Windows Phone did turn out to have some more surprises in store after some extended use, though not all of them pleasant. …

The Lumia 800 and 900 were important devices for the Windows Phone platform, but both are overshadowed in significance by the biggest slab of Microsoft-flavoured polycarbonate to come out of Nokia: the Lumia 920.

Nokia has a lot riding on the Lumia 920, and initial reception to the phone seems to be good. This flagship smartphone is a comeback phone like no other, but can it be Nokia’s saviour?

(Note: this is mostly a review of the Lumia 920′s hardware. For the Goondu take on Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system, click here.) …

At first glance, you may not notice anything different about Windows Phone 8 compared to its previous version. Well, except for its obviously different Start screen, which now sports tiles of three different sizes.

But Windows Phone 8 is as much a departure from Windows Phone 7 as Windows Phone 7 was from Windows Mobile 6.5 in one important a way: it’s a completely new version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system that is not backwards compatible with its previous version.

This means that apps written especially for Windows Phone 8 will not work in Windows Phone 7, which of course has left many current users unhappy. Still, in the grand scheme of things, I suppose Windows Phone 7′s user base is pretty insignificant compared to the hulking market share of Android and iOS.

Windows Phone 8 puts a focus on refining its distinctive style and features, and has reached a stage of maturity which may just give it a fighting chance this time round. …

Two of the sharpest-looking Windows Phone devices, from Taiwan’s HTC, will go on sale in Singapore in the coming weeks, at prices aimed at attracting users who are still undecided on an Android or Apple phone.

The HTC Windows Phone 8X, one of the best from the new Windows Phone 8 lineup, will cost S$828 when it ships this month, while a cheaper model with a smaller screen, the Windows Phone 8S, will go for S$418 in December. …

Windows Phone 8 is finally official. Microsoft’s new mobile OS is packed with so many new features and other refinements that Windows Phone 7 is beginning to seem like a worldwide beta test before the real product arrives.

Before we get our full reviews in, here’s a whirlwind tour of the new Windows Phone 8’s line-up. …

Nokia stole most of the Windows Phone 8 limelight with its new Lumia 920 flagship, but other device manufacturers are also starting to take the platform more seriously. Just look at the gorgeous phone above.

That’s the Windows Phone 8X by HTC, a mouthful of words that is supposed to convey Microsoft’s heavy involvement in the development of the smartphone. It’s kind of like a Google Nexus device, in a sense.

Although just unveiled in New York, I got some hands-on time at HTC’s Singapore office yesterday, and came away impressed on more than a few counts. …

Back when the Lumia 800 was launched, Nokia called it the world’s “first real Windows Phone”, but it lacked many desirable features such as front-facing cameras, and was probably designed to slow the Finnish company’s descent down, well, Research in Motion’s route.

Now, unlike the 800 and 900, the new Lumia 920 will bring some new innovation to the table, and Nokia is going in with guns blazing. The Lumia 820, on the other hand, seems a tad more bland in comparison and seems to be a more direct hardware upgrade. …

After months of letting users try it out, Microsoft said on Wednesday that its latest, most ambitious Windows operating system in years will ship on October 26.

The touch-based features have been well covered. But they are perhaps just the tip of the ice berg for upcoming changes in the way PCs will be used in the years ahead.

The other part of the equation is the hardware, and that’s evolving by the month as new laptops, tablets and hybrid devices come out sporting Intel’s new ultra-thin designs.

No one knows for sure how things will pan out. But here are three possible scenarios, based on what we’ve seen so far. …

When Nokia unveiled the Lumia 800, it felt like a stop-gap device rushed to the market to stop the company from haemorrhaging more users. Many features expected of the device were missing, such as a front-facing camera.

Many of these features are now included with the Lumia 900, but it’s still lacking in some departments when compared to iOS and the various Android powerhouses. Worse, Microsoft has just revealed that all existing Windows Phone handsets, including this one, won’t be receiving the Windows Phone 8 update.

How does it stack up now that companies like Samsung and HTC are leaping ahead with their new flagships? …