Windows Phone 8 will make a <big>DIFFERENCE</big>
At windows Phone Summit, Microsoft took a giant leap in its mobile platform. Windows Phone 7.5 Mango was awesome with its attractive UI and metro experience. But reviewers and users always had something to complain about the OS like limited customization, no dual or multi core devices, less number of apps in the marketplace and apps like Draw Something, Pandora etc. missing, multitasking issues blah blah blah. With Windows 8, Microsoft gets it all right leaving nothing to complain about. The announcements made at the Summit were not feature complete. There are many things to get excited in the near future.
Here are the new features that will make a difference:
New Start Screen
The start screen is the best home screen in any mobile device out there providing live notifications and updates about people and things you care about most. It remains heart and soul of Windows. People wanted more customization. Microsoft listens and delivers new start screen that is full screen (removing the black spaces), resizable tiles to three sizes (still providing live notifications) and mufti colors. With new start screen, you can see even more contents than iPhone or android at a time that is especially useful for power users. Unlike android that takes seriously long time to manage 5-7 home screens with grid of icons and mix of resizable and non resizable widgets and could end up looking like a mesh, you can customize new start screen with ease to match your best needs.
New Hardware Capabilities and New Kernel
Windows Phone Mango was based on Windows CE kernel and due to its limitation, OS supported only single core devices. Now, Windows phone 8 is getting a new kernel that is same as Windows PCs and slates that is going to provide endless possibilities of hardware, cross-platform app development via shared codes and many more. Now, windows phone 8 supports dual and multi core and theoretically up to 64. It also supports three resolutions 640 x 480, WXGA (1280 x 768) and 720p (1280x720). All of these offer 15:9 or 16:9 widescreen aspect ratios. With shared codes and APIs, developers can port apps between windows 8 and windows phone 8 devices with little modifications in screen resolutions. New Direct X capacities make the gaming experience in windows phone just like in PCs with high end 3D games and visual effects.
Internet Explorer 10
Windows Phone 8 is getting new internet explorer 10 and shares codes with IE from desktop providing security and performance like the PC browser in the phone which make it most advanced mobile browser.
Micro SD App Support
Windows 8 supports memory cards to store data take makes it easy to transfer, and store data with ease. And you will never run out of space in the phone. Users will also be able to install apps to the memory card instead of to internal storage.
Nokia Maps
Nokia maps were always a plus point for Lumia phones. Now, it is coming to all windows phone 8 devices. It will feature global NAVTEQ map data, offline support, turn by turn navigation, and a maps control for developers. It will also work in the background and in concert with Windows Phone’s voice control technologies, so you can keep navigating while doing other things. Background location functionality will let Maps and other location-based apps run in the background.
NFC and Wallet
Windows phone supports new NFC tap and send option to share data with supported devices. And what’s cool is, you can play a multiplayer game between a tablet and phone with just a tap for supported apps. Microsoft is also introducing a complete wallet experience to compete with apple’s passbook and Google wallet.
VoIP Integration
Windows Phone 8 provides integrated VoIP calling (not just for Skype) but other VoIP app makers too and supports to run in background.
Software Updates over the air
Windows 8 will deliver software updates over the air bypassing carriers. Users will be able to use latest and fresh contents on the phone.
100,000 plus Apps and Voice Controlled Apps
There are now more than 100,000 apps in the marketplace with additions of popular apps like draw something and audible. Users could launch apps with voice (which Siri is learning now) in Mango and in windows phone 8, developers can provide voice control navigations in their apps with new voice based APIs.
Native Code and in App Payments
The availability of native C and C++ code development using DirectX/Direct3D is a huge development for Windows Phone 8, one that will ease the creation of cross platform (Windows 8/iOS/Android) apps and games and is bringing many useful game engines (like Havoc) to Windows Phone.
And support of payment options within the apps is huge advantage for developers.
Enterprise Ready
Microsoft is promoting BYOD (Bring your Own Device) strategy to enterprises with its world class and trusted bit locker encryption and secure boot technology to windows phone 8. Companies can deploy their apps the way they want bypassing marketplace. Microsoft also shows the new Company Hub that lets companies and workers to interact with its each other.
Devices
Nokia, Huawei, Samsung and HTC will all deliver new Windows Phone 8 handsets in late 2012, and each will be based on a new Qualcomm chipset. Windows Phone 8 devices will be available in over 180 countries at launch, with support for 50 languages.
New devices from HP coming to windows phone 8 were revealed in press release.
“HTC is committed to Windows Phone more than ever and we are excited to be bringing new Windows Phone 8-enabled smartphones to customers later this year. With the introduction of Windows Phone in 2010, Microsoft initiated a new powerful mobile ecosystem with a consumer experience that was both unique and user friendly.”
The Verge managed to obtain information indicating that there will in fact be three HTC Windows Phone 8 devices during launch.
“HTC is committed to Windows Phone more than ever and we are excited to be bringing new Windows Phone 8-enabled smartphones to customers later this year. With the introduction of Windows Phone in 2010, Microsoft initiated a new powerful mobile ecosystem with a consumer experience that was both unique and user friendly.”
The Verge managed to obtain information indicating that there will in fact be three HTC Windows Phone 8 devices during launch.
HTC “Zenith”
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Display: 4.7” 720p Super LCD2
Camera: 8 megapixels (1080p capture) Processor: Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon Memory: ? GB RAM Network: 42Mbps HSPA+ (International Variant) Release: 4Q 2012 |
HTC “Accord”
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Display: 4.3” 720p Super LCD2
Camera: 8 megapixels (1080p capture) Processor: Dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8260A) Memory: 1 GB RAM Network: 42Mbps HSPA+ (International Variant) Release: October 2012 |
HTC “Rio”
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Display: 4” WVGA
Camera: 5 megapixels (720p capture) Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8227) Memory: 512 MB RAM Network: 14.4Mbps HSPA (International Variant) Release: October 2012 |
No upgrade to windows phone 8 for current devices
It is going to hurt current windows phone users that they are not getting windows phone 8 even latest lumia phones. But the new specifications like higher resolution, multitasking, NFC, voice technology etc. require high end hardware and current generation phones can not support next upgrade. But Microsoft want to keep its loyal users happy by providing 7.8 upgrade with new start screen. Nokia is also committed to current lumia users by providing new camera app with group shot, panorama mode, action mode and smart mode. Anyway, Microsoft is not trying to fool users like apples that let users to upgrade to iOS 6 ( but without new maps, siri and other critical features). And you can still see device makers releasing outdated android froyo and gingerbread like Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Young in the market. (And people jump to these year old devices. I wonder why?)
Unified PC and Mobile Experience
Microsoft is unifying its mobile and desktop experience with new metro environment which provides consistent and seamless experience whether on a pc, tablet or smartphone. Windows phone 7.5 devices were specially targeted to smart phone market and new smartphone users. But Windows phone 8 is targeting to 1.3+ billion Windows users.
What’s Coming
Microsoft is also working to cut the costs for users in other ways. For example, a new feature called Data Smart, which is based on the metered broadband connection capabilities in Windows 8, will help ensure that users get the most out of their data plans. A variety of techniques help achieve this. First, Windows Phone 8 reduces the amount of data it transmits, by handing off to Wi-Fi whenever possible and by using a new cloud-based browser proxy service that limits the amount of data used by Internet Explorer 10 and apps by compressing web traffic.
Microsoft is adding a new feature to Local Scout that will help you find nearby Wi-Fi hotspots. And in many countries, Windows Phone 8 can be configured to automatically offload from cellular data to mobile operator-owned Wi-Fi networks, without any user action required.
You’ll be able to use SkyDrive not just for documents and pictures, but also for music and videos, and access them directly from new Xbox Music and Xbox Video apps. You will also be able to navigate into your phone’s storage using the SkyDrive devices a functionality, just as you can with Windows PCs, and copy content (like camera-taken photos) back and forth seamlessly.
he Games hub is being replaced by an Xbox LIVE Games app modeled after the same app in Windows 8. It will provide the same marketplace browsing capabilities as its Windows 8-based brother, and also all of the avatar editing and stats browsing.
Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has partnered with Nokia to offer a dramatically better Camera, one that offers a “world class” experience. Windows Phone includes a basic Camera with great new features that provide most of what users are looking for. But it is also extensible via a new class of so-called Lens apps, which lets third party apps plug into the Camera experience and appear—rather than the Camera app—when the user presses the camera button. Later, when you browse through your taken pictures, you can see which were taken with particular lens apps, and you can then edit it within that app.
Windows Phone apps are already smarter than apps on other platforms, thanks to integrated capabilities like tile notifications, deep linking, integration with Bing, and so on. But in Windows Phone 8, this is getting even better. Microsoft is adding app-to-app communication using the same contracts functionality found in Windows 8. It supporting apps written in native code for the first time, another side effect of based the system on Windows 8, providing better performance (especially for DirectX-based games) and simpler porting of apps between Windows Phone and iOS, Android, and even Windows 8.
Microsoft is further integrating Bing into the Marketplace, bolstering the current search capabilities with automatic lists of known good apps that are matched to the user’s buying and downloading habits.
Got any feature or idea that you would like to see in Windows Phone 8, suggest here:
http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/101801-feature-suggestions
http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/101801-feature-suggestions
Source: www.winsupersite.com & Windows Phone Summit
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