Microsoft have unveiled their latest update to their smartphone operating system - Windows Phone 8, and its coming to smartphones later this year. Announced in San Francisco, Windows Phone 8 shares many of the same capabilities and code, meaning a more powerful feature set for users and developers.
Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei have all been confirmed by Microsoft to be launching new devices to support the upgrade.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the core features Windows Mobile 8 is bring to the smartphone party:
- Multi-core processor support: Windows Phone runs pretty smooth on phones with a single processor already. But Windows 8 Mobile provides support for multiple cores - future-proofing it for new hardware and developers.
- Bigger, sharper screens: Windows Phone 8 supports two new screen resolutions - 1280×768 and 1280×720, meaning it can support a high-definition 720p display on your phone.
- More flexible storage: Windows Phone 8 supports removable MicroSD cards, so you can add more storage for photos, music and files, and then transfer it all onto your PC.
- NFC wireless sharing: In Windows Phone 8, you can use NFC to sharing photos, Office docs, and contact info between phones - just tap your phone another NFC-equipped device.
- Internet Explorer 10: The next version of Windows Phone comes with the same web browsing engine that will feature on Window 8 PCs and tablets. IE10 is apparently faster and more secure, with advanced anti-phishing features like SmartScreen Filter to block dangerous websites and malware.
- Wallet: Windows Phone 8’s new digital Wallet feature does two things. It can keep debit and credit cards, coupons, boarding passes, and other important info right at your fingertips on your phone. And when paired with a secure SIM card from your network, you can also pay for things with a tap of your phone at compatible checkout counters.
- Maps and directions: Windows Phone 8 includes Nokia mapping as part of the platform so you’ll get detailed maps and turn-by-turn directions in many countries, plus the ability to store maps offline on your phone so you can use the maps without a data connection.
Apps
In terms of apps and games, there are now over 100,000 apps on Windows Phone Marketplace, compared with 466,500 apps on the Android platform and over 500,000 on Apple’s app store. To combat this, Microsoft have secured some new big names for their Marketplace including Audible (for audiobooks) which is out now and PayPal, Zynga’s Draw Something and Gameloft’s Nova 3 all on the way.
Windows Phone 8 in the workplace
The new mobile operating system also introduces new features and capabilities for businesses, including:
- Device encryption: To help keep everything from documents to passwords safe, Windows Phone 8 includes built-in technology to encrypt the entire device, including the operating system and data files.
- Security: Windows Phone 8 supports the United Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) secure boot protocol and features improved app “sandboxing,” so the phone is better protected from malware with multiple layers of security.
- Remote management: With Windows Phone 8, IT departments can manage apps and phones remotely, with tools similar to ones they now employ for Windows PCs.
- Company Hub and apps: Companies can create their own Windows Phone 8 Hub for custom employee apps and other critical business info.
We’ll have more details on the phones that will be running Windows Phone 8 soon.
