The time is nigh. Steve Ballmer announced his retirement plan not very long ago, leaving Microsoft quite little time to find the best candidate for its next CEO.

There have been rumors all around, highlighting key figures like Stephen Elop and Alan Mulally. Now a new round of rumors has arrived, saying that the board of directors at Microsoft has already made up their collective mind on this matter, and the decision is sort of surprising and not surprising at the same time.

My Talking Tom just launched worldwide on all platforms including Windows Phone 8. You might recognize the name because Talking Tom is part of the Talking Friends franchise that boasts 1.2 billion downloads to date. This new app lets users see Tom grow from kitten to adulthood, customizing his appearance as they go, with the introduction of animations powered in real-time 3D for the first time.

You can play games with him, feed him his favorite foods, and tuck him into bed. Poke, stroke and tickle him, and watch how he responds. There are 9 different stages and 50 levels to unlock. Watch the trailer after the break to see if this is for you.

It never stops with WhatsApp. The app that was forever going without updates is now seeing them on frequent basis. It was just a little under a week ago that there was an update in the Store that brought two new languages and fixed bugs. Let's check out if there are any new features in this update.

Channel 4 (www.channel4.com) is a UK public television broadcaster, operated by the Channel Four Television Corporation. The broadcaster (just like other companies) has its own branded catch-up service, enabling viewers to remain up-to-date and on top of shows. Should you find yourself missing numerous episodes of a series, this service is an invaluable resource.

We bear good news, as an official 4oD app is now available for Windows Phone 8.

We've been following SongArc since the app entered beta. The music game is exclusive to Windows Phone and highly addicting to those who play just a few games. The app is currently the most popular music game app in the Windows Phone Store and features nearly 3,000 reviews with an average of 5 out of 5 stars for the rating. It's also entering v2.0 in the beta. Here's what you can look forward to with the next big release of SongArc.

It's been awhile since we've covered an update for the Wikipedia app from Rudy Huyn. The app is notable for not only being the best Wikipedia app on Windows Phone, but for winning Microsoft's Next App Star contest. It just received an update today, so let's check out what's new in this update.

Duckie Deck is a collection of educational games for kids aged 2-5 years, and the popular app is now available on Windows Phone and Windows 8. This collection of preschool games focuses on supporting healthy habits and developing creativity, as well as solving some of the challenges of childhood.

WPCentral gets an exclusive look at some new HERE tech with Nokia

Nokia today invited Windows Phone Central along to their UK offices in London to talk about HERE location services and to show off the new technology in the new fleet of vehicles. These mobile machines are tasked with keeping the data collected fresh and relevant, as well as adding yet more detail to services and apps that utilise HERE data.

Update 2, 6 PM ET: And just like that, Untappd (company) has pulled the API keys, disabling this app (and their own). More below.

Does this sound like you? Beer drinker, somewhat into social networks, and rocking a Windows Phone? Then you're going to want to get Tapped for Windows Phone 8. It's a third-party app for the popular social network built around beer – Untappd. There's an official app on Windows Phone already, but Tapped fills some gaps and performance issues that the official app suffers from. Let's check it out.

A little while back, a partnership between Microsoft, Crytek and twofifteenmccann launched the production of a live action original series based on the game, Ryse. As of today, all four episodes of the show are available to watch on YouTube via Machinima.

The official Vine app for Windows Phone just came out yesterday, but it's already receiving an update. Vine is a popular video social network launched by Twitter earlier this year. We've had a few unofficial apps on Windows Phone that allowed you to create Vines, 6sec being the most popular of them. Let's check out what this update is about.

When it comes to Windows 8 devices, there is no doubt with the unit's ability to multitask or the ability to be productive and get stuff done. The Achilles heel of the Windows 8 platform at the moment, is its own app store, but as we know, Microsoft has been working hard to deliver key applications like Facebook and Flipboard (coming soon). With the release of Windows 8.1 however, an update was pushed for the app store that makes it easier to navigate and also help you discover some great apps you may have missed.

Nokia Refocus arrived at the Windows Phone Store earlier today for Nokia Lumia devices with PureView Camera. It supports the Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 925, Lumia 928 and Lumia 1020 (with Amber installed). It lets you capture first and then focus and re-focus later. We just installed it on our Nokia Lumia 1020 and took it on a test drive.

Watch the walkthrough video after the break.

Army Academy is a new Windows Phone 8 adventure from Moxy Games and the developer's first foray with the Windows Phone platform.  Army Academy is a multi-level, running-styled game that has you jumping, swimming and swinging through various boot camp styled courses.

Those courses have a wide range of obstacles and dangers to avoid that include lava pits and electric eels.  Along the way you can collect coins that can be used to purchase power-ups and as you progress through the levels, you can advance in rank.

Moxy Games has a nice portfolio of titles over on the Android and iOS platforms. First impressions are impressive with Army Academy and hopefully more games will be coming our way from Moxy Games.

It was back in October that we really got a first good look at how the new Friends App on Xbox One will look. This is the place on your Xbox that you'll be able to browse the profiles of all your friends on Xbox Live. You can view their stats, achievements, current activity, Gamerpic, and more. Speaking of their gamer pic, those are now in full HD and look gorgeous with the new UI on Xbox One. You can become part of history and design a Gamerpic for Xbox One today. Details below.

For Bluetooth and accessory fans, one big hole in the Windows Phone platform has been the lack of Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (LE) support (although Android lags here too). The Bluetooth LE standard allows newer hardware to connect using less energy for transmission, saving battery and allowing continuous background syncing. The most common example today is for Fitbit, which can sync to the iPhone constantly, keeping users abreast of their fitness status.

Recently, Nokia updated the 520, 620, 625, and 720 with the 'Amber' update and that firmware brought with it support for Bluetooth 4.0—so not all is lost. That update allowed the Adidas miCoach app to work with their heart rate monitor accessory. However, for those with the more premium 82x, 92x and 1020 devices, the question was when would we get the update?

It was just a few days ago that Facebook for Windows 8 was updated. That update was actually pretty substantial and brought a ton of new features. Fast forward a few days and we're looking at another update in the Windows Store. Anything new?

Black Friday is only two and a half weeks away and it is already time to start prepping for the biggest shopping day of the year. Upcoming deals and sales have already begun to leak and one specific deal from Best Buy has attracted our attention. Best Buy will be selling Microsoft's Surface (First Generation) 32 GB tablet for only $199.

Lenovo's new Miix2 ($299) tablet is now available and here's what its' like

Last week showed you the Venue 8 Pro, Dell's first foray into the 8-inch tablet world running Windows 8.1. This week, we have Lenovo's answer: the Miix2. Available at Amazon and costing $299 with 32GB of internal storage (64 GB optional available), these two devices have more in common than differences. Still, there are a few variances worth noting.

Head past the break for our unboxing and quick video tour of Lenovo's 8-inch competitor. Want to see it against the Dell? Stay tuned as we're testing them out now.

As of yesterday, the popular Microsoft subscription service, Office 365, is available in a total of 141 markets around the globe. The productivity goliath has expanded its reach into another seventeen markets and has added four new languages to the mix.

AT&T has today announced a new trade in program for select new hardware, including the Lumia 1520 from Nokia. Starting today, you'll be able to trade in a qualified smartphone at your local AT&T store to receive at least $100 off Nokia's "phablet." The Windows Phone will still require a two-year contract, but at least you're slashing something off the initial cost, which would set you back $199.

The Xbox One is launching in just 8 days. It's shaping up to be a device that's in position to transform your living room and become the center of entertainment for all your content in the Microsoft ecosystem. You're also getting the chance to see Macklemore or Deadmau5 if you're lucky enough to be in either Los Angeles or New York for launch events. Details below.

During our coverage of Casual Connect a few months back, we interviewed Polish developer Artifex Mundi about some of their adventure titles. I also promised to start reviewing those titles, and now it's time to do just that.

First up is our review of Nightmares from the Deep: the Cursed Heart for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. Cursed Heart is the first game in the Nightmares from the Deep series of hidden object puzzle adventure games (HOPA). With a mix of gameplay styles and plenty of ghostly pirate adventure, Cursed Heart is a great introduction to Artifex Mundi's games. Read on for our full review!

We just showed you guys that one of the most popular mobile racing franchises just came back to Windows Phone. That's right, you can now download Asphalt 8: Airborne for Windows Phone 8 devices. But wait! There's more. You can also get Asphalt 8: Airborne from Gameloft for Windows 8. So now you need make a decision – Do I get the Windows Phone or Windows 8 version of Asphalt 8?

Good news for those of you are who racing fans as Gameloft's Asphalt 8: Airborne is now available for Windows Phone 8 devices. The bad news is it's a massive 819 MB to download, meaning you'll need even more to install. The worse news is the game is not an Xbox Live title, as Gameloft has evidently decided to eschew Microsoft's rigorous certification.

The upside to being a non-Xbox Live title is that Gameloft can update and tweak the game as often as they want, and presumably they will. The other upside is this massive racer only costs $0.99 and yes, there is a free trial as well.

So what is Asphalt 8: Airborne? It's a relatively new title to the Asphalt series, only launching on Android and iOS back in August. While that's a three month delay between those platforms and Windows Phone, that is considerably less time that previous games, especially for Gameloft. Of course it did just drop in price to free on Android, but hey, we'll take what we can get.