First look at Nokia's Lumia 1020 with National Geographic's Stephen Alvarez

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Nokia's Lumia 1020 is the latest Windows Phone 8 flagship that improves on last year's Lumia 920 by slimming it down but also adding an improved 41 Megapixel sensor from the PureView 808. Nokia Canada showed off the new smartphone, features and accessories today with the help of National Geographic photographer Stephen Alvarez who took the Lumia 1020 on an amazing photoshoot in the American West.

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Microsoft introduces redesigned Bing

Microsoft’s taking its cues from Yahoo!’s redesign and are unveiling a new revamped search page and Bing Logo to boot. It’s going to feature a supposed clean and dynamic two column layout from its previous three column look and will be optimized for cross-device use. The new changes are rolling out in the coming months to the following markets: Canada, US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, India, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and China.

Microsoft developing Siri-like personal assistant for Windows Phone, dubs it ‘Cortana’

Microsoft is testing and preparing a Windows Phone 8.1 update that will supposedly have a personal assistant with Siri-like features. It has been codenamed “Cortana” after the Halo character and will help Windows Phone users interact with their smartphones using voice commands. There is already a basic voice command feature for Windows Phone but Cortana is expected to have a system that will learn user’s preferences and adapt accordingly.

Based on additional screenshots obtained by The Verge, Microsoft is testing the feature’s ability to pull in weather info, notifications, and events into a central interface. Other features seen on the interface include location information and access to Bluetooth controls. It is expected that Microsoft will roll out the new operating system update in early 2014.

Microsoft set to launch Surface 2 on September 23 as per press invitations

Microsoft is going to launch new Surface tablets on September 23 in New York City. Almost a year since Redmond dove headfirst into its first in-house tablets, the company is set to deliver the refreshed version of its discounted tablet. What's on the docket for Surface 2? Adjustable kickstands, a Tegra 4 processor, 1080p HD screen, thinner and lighter form factor and  Windows 8.1. The "RT" tag will also get deleted for version 2.0. 

The Surface Pro will likely rock an Intel Haswell processor for longer battery life and a new Power Cover to offer additional battery life.