It has been confirmed that Microsoft has been optimizing Windows Phone 7 to accommodate lower cost hardware specifications, which basically means that rather than taking on the likes of the iPhone 4S with high-end smartphone offerings, WP7 can now also be installed on low-end devices and cheap mid-end offerings.

Apparently the changes will be unnoticeable to many, but under-the-hood apps will be able to use more RAM than what is physically available. This sounds to us a lot like virtual memory (a feature which Microsoft has given its operating systems for years) and we think it’s a great move which could put some pressure on low-end Android devices, we’ll have to wait and see. As for the new hardware requirements we are told that WP7 and nearly all the apps available at the Marketplace will run well on devices with 7×27 processors and 256 MB of RAM.

This is good news for Nokia and even better news for Microsoft, let us explain why: It looks like Nokia could seriously begin forgetting about the dated Series 40 operating system and instead utilize WP7 on a lot more devices, which in-turn means that the Windows Phone 7 platform will be more appealing to developers. As soon as more developers see the WP7 Marketplace as a place to make serious money we’ll start seeing thousands more apps go live and all that competition should ensure that developers thrive to create apps which are better than rival offerings.

One smartphone which runs Windows Phone 7 with just 256MB of RAM is the Nokia Lumia 610, this was recently revealed at MWC 2012 and if you check out the video embedded at the bottom of this you will see that there’s no sign of slow-performance – obviously multimedia capabilities such as HD video playback will probably suffer, but not everyone cares about such features. You can see a couple of images of the Nokia Lumia 610 below and find out everything about this new smartphone here. (We’ve also embedded Nokia’s official Lumia 610 introduction video at the bottom of the page).

Microsoft has also revealed that the Windows Phone Marketplace will be enabled in 23 more markets (check out the WindowsTeamBlog for full details), these new markets are said to equate to a 60% increase in the total addressable market for WP7, combine that with fact that cheaper devices will soon run WP7 and you have to say that 2012 and beyond is looking very bright for WP7.

What is your favorite OS for mid to low-end smartphones? I must say it can be hard work configuring Android to run well on the Samsung Galaxy Europa….

An article on Inside Mobile Apps is reporting a source is claiming that the virtual currency system will be discontinued by the end of 2012. This will affect developers and users of Xbox Live, Windows Phone, and the Zune Marketplace.

It will be replaced by transactions that will use real money and based on each regions currency for all Windows Phone content. This will bring the mobile platform in line with rivals such as the Android Market and the App Store.

When Microsoft were asked about the rumors the company refused to comment, and stated they never do on rumors or speculation. Mobile developers that have agreements with the company have been warned to plan ahead for their upcoming DLC and in-app purchase with the change in mind.

After the changes takes place users with existing Microsoft Points left over will see them changed into their local currency. The points are also used to purchase media content and games via Xbox Live, PC and Windows Phone, and the Zune Marketplace but this system is not used universally.

With Xbox Live the prices for the full games are listed in dollars, but users purchase DLC content with Microsoft Points. Meanwhile on Windows Phone applications are also priced in a similar way, but users can make in-app purchases with the Points. Users can also use the Points to purchase accessories for their Xbox Live avatars, and these points can also be purchased direct from the handset.

This move may surprise some users but the company has been slowly bringing in cash purchases to Xbox Live, which is where the most points are used. With a cash based system it will bring it into line with rival platforms, and the points to cash conversion can be confusing for some users, and often leads them to purchase points they don’t need.

Would you prefer a cash based system?

This app is called ‘Ask Ziggy’ and not only is it free, but it is not supported by ads either, the official descriptions states that it brings Siri-like functionality to WP7 and we forgive you for being skeptical, but keep reading on to find out just how good this application really is. You can get Ask Ziggy from the Windows Phone Marketplace here.

At the bottom of the post we have embedded a video which was uploaded to the WMExperts YouTube channel, here we see Ziggy deal with a long-list of questions and the app does incredibly well – we have to remember that this app has been developed by a relatively small dev team called Averotek. The look of the application and how it runs is very much like Siri, however we are hoping to see future updates to enhance functionality and further integrate itself into WP7.

You can see a full list of commands over at the official Ask Ziggy website, we were pleasantly surprised by the answers given to questions such as “What’s the square root of 100?”, “Who directed Star Wars? and “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?” – in fact the answers given went above and beyond what we expected – see the image below. Answers are read out by Ziggy and shown in text, if an answer cannot be found a link is usually provided.

Perhaps the most impressive feature is something which Siri is incapable of, basically if you say “Update” followed by a sentence it will tweet that message and set it as your status on Facebook – how neat is that!

Comments on YouTube suggest that Microsoft should hire the guy that came up with the application and we agree, reviews on the WP7 marketplace are mixed, however we think that you should see this app as a work-in-progress and understand just how much hard work has gone into this app to get it to the stage it is currently at.

Have you asked Ziggy? If so, are you impressed?

As CJ Lippstreu over at pocketnow.com recently reported, the PhotoFunia app – which has already been downloaded more than 250,000 times on the Google Android operating system – is a fun photo editing tool that provides various effects for altering your images.

Once users have uploaded a photo of themselves (or someone else), the app automatically identifies the face and edits it with the chosen effect. For example, the app enables you to put your face on a shopping center billboard, in a newspaper or even on the cover of a magazine.

If users are feeling in an exceptionally silly mood however, then even have the choice of turning themselves into Marilyn Monroe, a Jedi Knight, Superman, an ice hockey player or a bodybuilder. The trailer describes the WP7 version of the app as the best variant yet.

You can read more about this application and view the list of effects you can use via the official photofunia.com website. The video can be viewed over at pocketnow.com. Will you download the PhotoFunia app for your Windows Phone 7 mobile?

As a recent article over on the phonearena.com website (sourced via WMpoweruser) noted, there have been a few other sports-related apps for the Windows Phone 7 platform, but none of them have appeared as detailed or had the same amount of functionality as the ScoreMobile app.

The ScoreMobile application provides everything a sports fan would want to see in a sports-related app, including simple and easy to access real-time sports scores, standings, stats, video commentary and as noted over on tradingmarkets.com, major league sports information.

ScoreMobile will also provide users with detailed coverage of top college and pro sports, as well as the ability to customize the app’s dashboard with one of the four background images. You can view a video preview (courtesy of WMpoweruser) of the app below this post.

Luckily the technolog on MSNBC has put together a list of apps which are worth installing, if you check out this link you can see their full article, it is well worth reading if you have brought a Windows Phone 7 device.

Here are all of the apps which have been recommended, check out the link above for the full list with brief descriptions and prices. Yelp, Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Shazam, Breaking News, iheartradio, Where, Public Transit, Realtor.com, Graphic.ly, ICanHasCheezburger, gReadie, Seesmic, TED, Pictures Lab, History Here, GoVoice, Zagat To Go and WinFart Pro.

We would love to hear your opinion on the apps available from the Windows Phone Marketplace, therefore feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

What is your favorite app for Windows Phone 7?